


My Lady

by A_to_B_and_C



Series: EXOVERSE [16]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Chanyeol is a private detective, Crossdressing, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, M/M, late 50s in America
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:08:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 36,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24373315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_to_B_and_C/pseuds/A_to_B_and_C
Summary: Chanyeol wasn't fan of wasting time, nor visitor of those same places that Sehun attended frequently.And he didn't know why he accepted to go with him that night, but he met the fairest and most beautiful being he ever met in all his life.Who was that woman so enthralling yet so secretive who asked his help? And why Chanyeol coulnd't see clearly in her story...
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Series: EXOVERSE [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1658077
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	My Lady

**Author's Note:**

> This time I bring you something even different not only for the story, but also for the thematics.  
> Please consider that being settled in the past, it wouldn't be as easy as it would be right now, nor for Chanyeol nor for Baekhyun.  
> I hope you will like the plot and the characters this time along too!  
> Thank you in advance <3

Los Angeles, 1958.

Chanyeol fixed his necktie, hearing a knock on his office door.  
“Loey? May I have a minute of your time?” Sehun asked him, entering in the office.  
Chanyeol nodded shortly, making him gesture to sit down in front of him.  
“Ford send us the data you requested. It seems everything is even too much in order” he stated sitting and Chanyeol nodded softly.  
“As expected. Thank you, let me think about our next move in the meantime” he declared and Sehun smiled softly at him.  
Park Chanyeol was a private detective, former police officer.  
He was son of Korean immigrants in America and managed to enter police ranks just thanks to his indoctrination as right American citizen.  
And even if he still followed Korean festivities and traditions, he adapted to that place and also took a name to seem “less Korean” to his partners and colleagues.  
Oh Sehun was one of them.  
Born in Korea, differently from Chanyeol, and transferred when he was five, Sehun was more loyal to Korean traditions, language and festivities that Chanyeol himself.  
Nevertheless, he was a valid collaborator and one of Chanyeol’s best friends.  
“Loey” Sehun added, almost whining and Chanyeol’s stared at him perplexed but Sehun opened in a sly smirk.  
“Why don’t we go out tonight? I discovered a really nice place” he started and Chanyeol frowned softly.  
“You know I don’t fancy your same places” he retorted but Sehun shook his head immediately.  
“I’m sure you will like this one, Loey. Can you trust me for this time?” he asked him and Chanyeol sighed briefly.  
He wasn’t particularly up to exit that night, feeling even more tired than usual.  
“I swear that if it’s something illegal…” he started and Sehun snorted.  
“If it’s not illegal, it’s not fun” he interrupted him immediately and Chanyeol wanted to tell him that in that case he wasn’t up to it, when Sehun shook again his head.  
“Trust me. You won’t regret it” he declared nodding frantically and he was so convinced and so sure that Chanyeol sighed deeply before nodding shortly too.  
“I will give it a try. Whatever it may be, one hour, no more. And if I don’t like it, I don’t want to hear anymore another suggestion from you” he stated, setting the rules and Sehun nodded again, confidently.  
“You will like it” he concluded, sitting up and telling him that he would come pick him up at nine.  
Chanyeol literally lived upstairs his own studio.  
So, after everyone went home, he closed up, went upstairs and eat something light, reading the last news and waiting for Sehun to come and picking him up.  
He was a bit afraid of what Sehun could have found, knowing how he loved dangerous and illegal things, but he also seemed so sure that it would interest Chanyeol too that he wanted to give him a chance.  
Punctual as a clockwork, Sehun came to get him at nine and excitedly drove them until the very suburbs, as far as the center as a remote place can be.  
It was an old colonic house framed by newly built apartment complexes.  
They entered and a man in the hall, recognized Sehun, greeting him.  
“Sehun, such a pleasure to see you again. And you are in company today. Who is this elegant sir?” he asked him and Sehun smiled softly.  
“My boss, so don’t make a fool of me. Show us your best” Sehun stated and the man smiled at him gently.  
“Welcome to Black Pearl Gentlemen’s club. I’m the owner, Johnny” he said and clearly it was another nickname since the man was as Asiatic as both him and Sehun were.  
Before Chanyeol could introduce himself too, a thing that didn’t seem to be a necessary requirement, Johnny stared again toward Sehun, chuckling softly.  
“You will enjoy it tonight. Mary is back” he stated and Sehun beamed at him.  
“Really?!” he asked him, voice trembling and eyes sparkling, and Johnny nodded guiding them further inside the house, in a big hall, luxurious as few place Chanyeol ever went to, with a lot of tables and a small stage, lighted by yellow and red lights.  
Johnny gestured them one of the tables nearer to the stage and brought them a menu, mainly composed of liquors and wines, but with some things to eat too.  
“What do we…?” Chanyeol started asking him but a man slightly older than Johnny, stepped on the stage welcoming everybody and thanking them for being there.  
Apparently, various performances would be held on that stage, including singing, dancing and some cabaret too.  
Chanyeol and Sehun ordered something to drink and assisted to the first performances, nothing too exciting in Chanyeol’s opinion.  
Mainly girls, more or less dressed, dancing and singing in a mediocre way and earning applauses and whistles.  
Or elder men trying to sing some jazzy things that wasn’t exactly in Chanyeol’s liking.  
He was about to tell Sehun that he had enough of whatever they were watching when a slender figure appeared on stage.  
She was aethereal, pale as moonlight and with hair dark as the night, gathered in a short braid.  
Her neck was decorated with gems, apparently emeralds, that shone beautifully in the lights.  
“Mary…” Sehun whispered near him, but Chanyeol almost didn’t hear him.  
He was enthralled by the presence of that woman who was wearing a hanbok, pearl and green, that caressed gracefully her physique.  
Slowly a gentle music started and she started to dance too, making two fans appear from her sleeves, one silver and the other emerald green.  
Chanyeol couldn’t take his eyes away from her.  
She was beautiful and so graceful that it seemed like she was flying more than dancing, so light and shiny that he was enchanted.  
Everything of her figure was so slender and gentle that Chanyeol almost thought that she was a fairy more than a human, because it wasn’t possible for a normal person to be that graceful.  
For the first time since the start of the evening, in the hall there wasn’t a single sound except the music and the flapping sound of fans opening and closing, following the rhythm.  
It was something magical.  
So magical that he didn’t even manage to move when it ended, neither to clap his hands or comment the performance.  
“Loey?” Sehun called him and Chanyeol shook briefly his head, stare leaving the stage only when, after bowing, Mary disappeared behind the curtains.  
“What was…?” he whispered and Sehun chuckled softly.  
“She is fascinating, right?” Sehun asked him and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“No, more. I’ve never seen someone as beautiful as her…” he whispered and Sehun hummed softly.  
“Do you want to stay a bit more? Maybe she will come out again to play the piano” he noted and Chanyeol never nodded as quickly to something.  
They waited almost another hour before a fine man who was also bartending, stepped up on the stage with a microphone and Mary sat behind him on the small piano in the corner.  
She was dressing with a simple black lace dress, hair now free of the braid, and silver earrings pending from her ears.  
The stones disappeared or where hidden under the velvet choker.  
She started to play slowly, giving the tempo to the man who started singing a sad song of a lost love.  
Chanyeol wasn’t particularly attentive on the words or at the man, his stare stuck to Mary’s figure at the piano.  
She was so beautiful also dressed in black and with her hair down.  
And when the man ended his song, she kept playing the piano.  
Something light as autumn drizzle and refreshing as spring breeze.  
And Chanyeol thought that he was in love for the first time in his life.  
Because how could someone be so perfect and beautiful at the same moment?  
And he wanted to speak with that Mary and know more about her and…  
He sighed deeply, calming himself down.  
He didn’t know exactly was that place in which Sehun brought him.  
But surely it wasn’t a simple cabaret place.  
Chanyeol wasn’t so naïve to think it was.  
So Mary was a… bright prostitute?  
A really talented harlot?  
Chanyeol sighed softly and in that moment, Mary concluded her performance in another round of applauses, sitting up and this time walking toward the bar counter instead of going back the scenery flat.  
She walked between the table, passing near Chanyeol.  
He immediately noticed that she dropped something shiny on the floor.  
“Miss” he called her, picking up what he realized to be an earring.  
She turned toward him and he offered the long jewelry to her with a small smile.  
She slightly touched her ear before smiling softly at him, taking the jewel and walking away.  
Her perfume was… inebriating.  
Flowery, maybe lily and roses, but so sweet and so fresh that Chanyeol was tempted to take her hand and kiss her.  
“Loey” Sehun called him, again whining, making him frown shortly.  
“Mary smiled at you… It’s not fair!” he commented and Chanyeol’s stare went again to the girl that now was sitting near Johnny at the counter.  
She nodded softly to something he was telling her but never replied to him.  
“Is she… mute?” Chanyeol asked him shortly but Sehun shook his head.  
“She doesn’t like her voice. Because it’s not as graceful as her presence” he replied and Chanyeol frowned, and he was more than curious to know how was her voice.  
Surely beautiful as she was.  
They stayed there a bit more but then, after both Johnny and Mary left the hall, they went away too.  
“So, how was the evening?” Sehun asked him, driving them home and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“She is stunning, Sehun… how do you even find such a pearl in that place?” he inquired and Sehun chuckled.  
“Fate? Also because the gentlemen’s club it’s a cover for a really nice brothel, as you can imagine” he added and Chanyeol huffed, shaking his head again.  
“I knew it. It couldn’t be something legal, right?” he sighed and Sehun chuckled again.  
“Say you didn’t like Mary and then we can speak again?” he retorted and Chanyeol shut up immediately.  
“Does she…?” Chanyeol asked him after a minute of silence but Sehun shook his head.  
“Only with privileged ones?” he replied and when Chanyeol tried to inquire any further, Sehun shrugged his shoulders.  
He didn’t know much either.  
However, Chanyeol wanted to know more about that beautiful girl that stole his breath and heart in a single evening.

  
He started to go there several times, both with Sehun or without.  
And she was always more beautiful, always more graceful.  
Her clothes were always sparkling, complimenting her figure and exalting her carnation and hair.  
Even if her hair was shorter than most of the women around, she was so gorgeous that Chanyeol would never stop looking at her.  
Chanyeol knew that the small emeralds that decorated her neck were always there, sometimes appearing also in her jewels, like earrings or rings.  
And it was one of those evenings out that Chanyeol, when he was almost going home, he heard a slap resonating in the backyard of the house.  
Worried, he went to see and find an old man that was trying to pin Mary at the wall of the house.  
“I think she’s not liking it, sir” he intervened and the old man, who was a bit drunk, stared angrily at Chanyeol.  
“Go away, snobby. She loves it and it’s what she deserves” he stated but Chanyeol shook his head, nearing them and towering with all his height the short man who was clearly afraid of him now.  
“Let her go” Chanyeol ordered him and the man pushed Mary toward the wall before walking away.  
Chanyeol’s stare went immediately to her, worried.  
“Are you okay?” he asked her, looking at her that nodded shortly, trying to flat her skirt and fix her dress.  
The man probably tried to kiss her because her lipstick was smeared also on her cheek, more than on her lips.  
“Take” Chanyeol whispered, giving Mary his handkerchief and she shook her head softly.  
“Please?” he asked her, this time gentler, and her stare was immediately on his face, perplexed.  
“Did he hurt you?” Chanyeol inquired again and Mary shook her head, finally taking the handkerchief and cleaning her cheek with it.  
And Chanyeol noticed it wasn’t only lipstick, but there was also blood.  
He leant in, checking the wound but Mary retracted immediately, getting away from him.  
“I’m sorry” Chanyeol whispered distancing himself too.  
She shook her head again briefly.  
“I’m sorry too” she whispered voice low and barely audible.  
“So you do have a voice” Chanyeol noted, smiling gently at her that hummed softly.  
“I have to go. Thank you” she whispered and before Chanyeol could tell her something else, she ran inside the house, making Chanyeol sigh shortly.  
He really spoke with Mary.  
And from near she was even more beautiful.  
Chanyeol was so screwed for that girl that he didn’t know what to do.  
He only knew that he kept going to Black Pearl almost every night, just to see her.

  
Episodes like that repeated multiple times since Chanyeol started to go to Black Pearl and Mary always tried to avoid him, his stare or to simply speak with him.  
He knew he didn’t anything bad to her and that probably it was for the fact that she thought that Chanyeol wanted the same thing from her as anyone else.  
One evening, after the show and before going home, Chanyeol stopped in the hall to speak with the bartender, Dae, that was explaining to him why and what made Black Pearl especially successful.  
They were talking when they heard a loud thud coming from the upper floor and Dae stared at him worried.  
“Tonight there wasn’t any visit scheduled?” he whispered and Chanyeol frowned, taking the stairs and walking toward the direction where the sound came from.  
“So please go fuck yourself, jerk” a low voice exclaimed from a room and Dae seemed to recognize it, because he pulled Chanyeol’s sleeve, slightly.  
“Don’t…” he started but curiosity, and worry, get the best of Chanyeol that walked toward the room.  
There was a man sitting on the floor with only the boxer on and his shirt opened.  
All his clothes were thrown on the floor around him.  
“You should be grateful I didn’t burn them” the voice added and from the room appeared no one else that Mary.  
She had her hair pulled up in a small chignon, exposing her neck and all the stones on her neck, and she was smoking.  
She was wearing a long pink-satin night-gown.  
The man whined taking his clothes up from the floor and running away.  
She sighed, puffing out a bit of smoke, before making gesture to go back in the room but meeting Chanyeol’s perplexed stare.  
“What are you doing upstairs here?” she asked him and then her stare went to Dae.  
“A new customer? Did you tell him everything?” she asked him but Dae shook his head, huffing.  
Mary puffed out some more smoke, stare shifting again to Chanyeol.  
“Such a pity. I would have ridden him pleasantly” she whispered, smirking gently, but Dae sighed deeply, while Chanyeol never felt more perplexed and aroused in the same instant.  
He felt attracted to her, and in a way that wasn’t exactly romantic.  
Mary was… alluring, sensual, perfect in her very shape and hue.  
Chanyeol was more than tempted to accept her proposal.  
“I wonder when you will realize that you can’t continue like this” Dae whispered but she laughed bitterly.  
“For how much I remember, we have an agreement. And we are still speaking of my ass, not yours” she replied sharply and Chanyeol frowned shortly not understanding, but Mary smiled softly at him.  
“Sorry to let you see something as shameful as this, but I hate old men that don’t take a no as reply and they don’t understand that I’m not what they think” she added sighing softly and Chanyeol hummed in thought.  
“Everyone has their own story?” he replied briefly, shrugging his shoulders, and Mary chuckled.  
“Are you sure you are not up to a random fuck?” she asked him and Chanyeol smiled briefly but shook his head.  
“Maybe next time?” he retorted, a failed attempt to flirt, and she smiled again at him.  
“Just the time to know each other better?” she whispered alluring and Chanyeol smirked back at her.  
“Maybe” he concluded even if he wasn’t accustomed to people flirting with him, and she waived at them before going back to the room.  
Dae sighed deeply before forcing Chanyeol downstairs again.  
“Forget about tonight. She was a little upset” he stated and Chanyeol frowned shortly.  
“It’s fine. We all have our problems and if she’s here, surely has a whole lot too” he observed and Dae frowned softly before inhaling deeply.  
“Can you keep a secret, Loey?” he asked him and Chanyeol nodded briefly.  
“Mary’s sister is missing. She’s doing the same things her sister did just to understand what could have happened to her” he whispered and Chanyeol frowned again.  
So Mary didn’t had any need to do that job forcefully, she choose it herself just to find out what happened to her sister.  
“Why didn’t she contact the police?” Chanyeol asked him but the reply was already obvious.  
Why the police should have some interest in a missing slut?  
Dae laughed bitterly.  
“You already know the answer” he replied and Chanyeol hummed softly before shaking his head.  
“Still, if she needs some help or advice, I’m a private detective” he concluded and Dae’s stare went larger before he nodded shortly, marveled by the revelation.  
And if at first Chanyeol was the one to look for Mary’s stares all the evenings, the following time he went to Black Pearl, it was Mary herself to go and speak with him.  
Chanyeol was sitting at the counter, chatting with Dae about nothings.  
Mary’s shows already ended so Chanyeol didn’t have any more interest toward other performances, so he was sitting with his back facing the small stage.  
For this reason, he totally didn’t expect ice cold fingers caressing his nape, before a lily perfume invaded his senses, making him shiver shortly.  
He knew it was her even before turning or hearing her voice.  
“Mr. Park, you look stunning tonight” Mary whispered in his ears, before sitting near him and Chanyeol smiled at her softly.  
“Is this your way to make me offer you a drink?” he replied shaking his head, but he wasn’t annoyed by her behavior at all, and Mary chuckled briefly, small dimples appearing on her cheeks, eyes becoming small crescent moons.  
“Would you be so kind?” she whispered softly and Chanyeol gestured toward Dae that nodded shortly too.  
“How do you even know my name?” Chanyeol asked her who hummed in thought.  
“You are not the only one good to investigate, Mr. Private Detective” she murmured and Chanyeol arched his eyebrow perplexed yet pleased.  
“Are you here to become my partner against crime, Miss Mary?” Chanyeol asked her, who chuckled softly, accepting the drink that Dae prepared for her and raising it toward Chanyeol.  
“I think we can do something like that, yes” she added and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“More specifically?” he asked her who sighed before emptying the whole glass in one go.  
“Help me find my sister, Mr. Park” she whispered and the voice tone was so low and so deep that Chanyeol was perplexed by such depth in her voice.  
Her stare was fixed in Chanyeol’s and didn’t wavered even slightly.  
“What happened to your sister?” Chanyeol asked her, staring back at her with the same intensity and she looked at him a while more before shaking her head.  
“She was just a whore like me, nothing good for sure” she replied but Chanyeol clicked his tongue.  
“If you are looking for her, then something must be happened” he noted making Mary frown shortly.  
“She disappeared on me, one day. No more visit, no more letters, no calls. Nothing. When I came here, Myeon said that he would help me finding her, because he was worried too” she added and Chanyeol frowned softly.  
“Who is Myeon?” he asked her perplexed and Mary chuckled softly.  
“Johnny. His true name is Kim Junmyeon. Most of us are Korean immigrants or descendants of Korean immigrants” she added and Chanyeol hummed briefly.  
Mary gestured toward Dae, smiling.  
“Also him. Everyone calls him Dae or Dave, but his name is Kim Jondae” she added and Chanyeol nodded briefly.  
“As for me and Sehun” he supplied softly, drinking a sip from his glass and Mary stared at him, interested.  
“Oh, so you are a late descendant too. Such a nice thing to know, Mr. Park” she whispered before asking Dae another drink.  
“Don’t drink too much, lady” Chanyeol stated making her chuckle, brilliantly.  
“I’d like to be your lady one of these nights, actually, drunk or not” Mary added but Chanyeol shook his head briefly.  
“Maybe after we found your sister?” he proposed even if listening to his instinct he would have accepted in that very moment, and Mary pouted slightly.  
“Are you refusing me, Mr. Park?” she teased him and Chanyeol was about to reply when she smiled again, this time even more softly and sincerely.  
“I appreciate it. I will find a way to pay you. And I mean with money, not sex” she concluded softly and Chanyeol sighed.  
“Let me do my job and when everything will be over we can talk again about money. It can be that we end up in nothing” he whispered and Mary nodded briefly, worried.  
“Which is yours and your sister’s last name, Miss Mary?” he asked her briefly and Mary hummed in thought.  
“Byun. But here it became Bunny a lot of times in some papers. Reason why everyone knows her as Bunny” she explained and Chanyeol nodded taking mentally note of what Mary told him.  
“Shall I call you Miss Byun too?” he asked her who chucked again softly.  
“Mary is fine, Mr. Park” she replied, emptying also the other glass that Dae gave her and standing up from where she was sitting.  
“See you next week?” she asked him and Chanyeol nodded softly sitting up too.  
“Next week then, Miss Mary” he concluded walking away.

  
Chanyeol started almost immediately trying to find out what happened to Mary’s sister.  
He asked also Sehun to help him out, looking as further as possible into her past.  
Sehun was overjoying to do something helpful toward Mary and a new case always excited him.  
Chanyeol asked to everyone that could know Bunny.  
Johnny described her as a small sunshine in every grey day.  
Always sparkling with energies and smile.  
Maybe a bit too curious and too intelligent to be a woman in those times.  
Chanyeol frowned and Johnny told him that there were happenings of customers being angry with her because she wasn’t dumb enough.  
Chanyeol could understand the thinking about it but still kind of disliked it.  
Speaking with Jondae, instead, he got to know that the evening of her disappearance, Bunny argued with a customer about something that, in Jondae’s words, didn’t seem work related.  
Maybe something else happened and they were arguing for something else.  
He only knew that Bunny went away with him that night instead of sleeping in her room and he regretted not stopping her.  
Chanyeol asked him if Mary already knew it and Dae nodded softly.  
“She was the first and almost only person I told it” he concluded and Chanyeol nodded briefly.  
Making up al the pieces, it seemed that Bunny, after her usual shift at Black Pearl, argued with a man way older than her and, instead of returning to her room, she went away with him disappearing in thin air.

  
It was a weird relationship the one that built up between private detective Chanyeol and awfully talented escort Mary.  
She started to go out with him to assist in his investigations and to go together in places that her sister could have visited recently.  
Chanyeol didn’t realize fully but women had a lot of activities and businesses that he didn’t even expect.  
Hairdressers, tailors, everything was custom made and perfect for them to fit.  
Mary seemed to be at ease with all those clothes and perfumes and she helped Chanyeol a lot in understanding what every person they spoke to was referring to.  
Especially when they visited her hairdresser a strange man with blond hair that everyone called Gin.  
He was strange and initially didn’t want to talk about Bunny because he said that were private matters.  
When Mary told him that she was her sister, he changed immediately.  
“I didn’t know she has a sister, but now everything makes sense. She always speaks of her angel, the only one who still has faith in her” he explained briefly making Mary open in a shy smile.  
“That idiot…” she whispered softly and Chanyeol hummed briefly in thought.  
“Do you remember if she maybe talked about someone in her life?” Chanyeol asked to Gin who laughed briefly.  
“She has plenty of men, Mr. Park. She is beautiful and she loves being surrounded of gifts, flowers, perfumes and clothes. For how she speaks, her family isn’t rich to start with, so she loves all those attentions” he started saying and they both nodded, thinking that the speech ended there, since how it started.  
But the man in front of them continued to speak.  
“However, recently she found someone that seemed to be more special to her. Bunny always speaks about him and how she loves him. She also said that he wants to marry her and give her a life away from Black Pearl” he added shaking his head and Mary frowned briefly.  
“She never mentioned anyone to me” she countered worried and frowning, but the man shook his head.  
“Because Bunny is sure you wouldn’t have liked him” he explained briefly, shrugging his shoulders, and Mary puffed her cheeks cutely.  
“And she is right probably…” Mary added sighing softly.  
They talked a bit more with the hairdresser and then they went away.  
It was almost five and Chanyeol know there was a nice café on the street so he had the brilliant idea of asking Mary what she thought about a tea.  
“There’s a nice café here at the corner, may I offer you a tea?” Chanyeol asked her who stopped on the street staring at him perplexed.  
“Mr. Park, are you sure? I mean you don’t have…” she started still startled by Chanyeol’s proposal but he shook his head.  
“Sure, Miss Mary. They have a black rose tea I’m sure you will love” he added smiling softly at her and Mary hummed softly.  
“I can’t let you offer though…” she started but Chanyeol shook his head again.  
“And I can’t let you pay for it, either” he interrupted her who huffed briefly before smiling gently at him.  
“I already owe you so much, Mr. Park. How will I repay you?” she asked him softly, fixing her hair behind her ear, and he smiled back at her.  
With Mary he felt at ease.  
She was clever, bright, sometimes way too sensual and alluring for being a woman at those times.  
Mary had very attentive suggestions and a perspicacity that Chanyeol admired.  
They sat together in the small café and Chanyeol looked at her deciding on what to order from the menu.  
She was so focused on it, small frown appearing on her forehead and Chanyeol find it exceptionally cute.  
In the end, she ordered the tea with roses even if her stare indulged longer on the long list of shortcakes, scones, pancakes and sweets.  
“Something with chocolate?” he proposed briefly, tempting her with something sweet, and she shook her head immediately.  
“No, Mr. Park, I…” she started saying but he pushed again the menu toward her.  
“Order something, please” he continued, smiling at her, and she huffed again, ordering some scones with blueberry jam.  
“I owe you so much, Mr. Park. You are helping me also to find my sister” she whispered shaking her head, stare moving outside the big windows.  
She seemed to be so focused and yet so sad that Chanyeol couldn’t help to ask her.  
“You don’t… do the same work as she does, right?” he asked her briefly, curiosity having the best of him, and Mary chuckled, shaking her head.  
“No, I… work as secretary” she replied briefly and Chanyeol frowned briefly.  
There was something that Mary wasn’t telling him.  
She was really vague on her life, on her past, on everything.  
Chanyeol always tried to ask her something more, but she never told him anything.  
He couldn’t quite decide if it was because she was embarrassed or if she had something to hide.  
However, that afternoon, she felt like she could tell something more to Chanyeol.  
“I am… very fond of my sister, Mr. Park. She is so bright and beautiful and…” she started and the waiter brought their order, bringing also a short silence.  
“My family wasn’t especially rich, indeed. We worked since the very start of our young life. But Mary is so talented and so perfect that when Johnny gave her a possibility to exhibit and to make easy money, she was so happy even if I wasn’t. I didn’t manage to support her as she probably would have liked” she added, turning the cup in her hands.  
Chanyeol shook his head, smiling softly.  
“Sometimes our lives take unexpected trails and we can’t convince ourselves that we are not so right as we think?” he suggested, briefly shaking his head, and Mary forced a soft smile.  
“Who would have thought that I would have left my work just to follow… this” she whispered and Chanyeol found that her tone and her eyes were so sad.  
Mary started to eat in silence, humming sweetly when she munched on the scones and Chanyeol smiled.  
“So sweet” she muttered, not realizing she smeared some jam on her cheek.  
Chanyeol’s hand moved on its own, thumb wiping it away.  
Her cheek was so soft and Chanyeol had to force himself not to lick the jam away from his thumb by simply cleaning it on the napkin.  
They looked at each other, both perplexed and speechless.  
“I’m…” Chanyeol started but Mary shook her head, stare not meeting Chanyeol’s.  
“No, I am. I’m a mess, right?” she whispered forcing a chuckle, but still keeping her eyes down to her cup.  
There was a small silence and then Chanyeol changed completely discourse.  
“What do you think about Bunny’s lover?” Chanyeol asked her and she inhaled softly.  
“That hairdresser said I wouldn’t have liked him. And I think he’s right. I didn’t like either her previous partners” she started and before Chanyeol could objected anything, she continued.  
“Dae saw him once, right? Maybe I can ask him if he remembers something more about him? Or… who should I ask to…?” she inquired but talking with herself more than with Chanyeol himself.  
Chanyeol wanted to reply but she munched on another bite of scone before brightening up.  
“Ah, that candy shop at the end of the fifth!” she exclaimed and Chanyeol frowned briefly.  
“Candy shop?” he echoed perplexed and not understanding what the girl hinted to and Mary nodded, looking toward the clock and sighing softly.  
“Too late. We have to go another day…” she added and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Why a candy shop should be useful…?” he started asking and Mary opened in a bright smile.  
“My sister loves candies” she replied and Chanyeol smiled shortly too.  
“Let’s meet again and go there too” he concluded reassuring her and Mary nodded, continuing to eat, visibly relieved by it.  
And if she was relieved, Chanyeol was too.

  
Chanyeol met again with Mary around three days later to go to that candy shop.  
Sehun was worried about him going around so much with her.  
“Loey, not that I don’t envy you so much for having so much knowledge with Mary, but don’t forget what she is” he whispered while he was looking at him taking his hat and almost exiting the office.  
Chanyeol chuckled, shaking his head.  
“No need to worry, Sehun. I know it and she knows it too. We are trying only to understand what happened to her sister and if she’s still alive or not” he concluded, waiving at him softly and go away.  
He knew it, indeed.  
However, he couldn’t do any different if not being attracted to Mary and her whole being.  
She wasn’t only clever and way too smart, she was pretty and fun to be around.  
She had a background culture, especially for coming from such a poor family as the one she claimed.  
Mary wore dresses always so stylish and so modern that Chanyeol couldn’t tear his eyes apart of her every time that they saw each other.  
There was… something that pushed him so near to Mary, making him feel soft and strangely addicted to her presence.  
They met directly in the fifth avenue and Mary wore a pink dress, knees length, hair pulled up in a nice ponytail.  
Cute – was the only thing that Chanyeol could think.  
He wasn’t usually so soft and so attracted to young women, but Mary had all those qualities that made him want to know more about her.  
“Mr. Park, you are late” she whined softly and Chanyeol smiled softly at her.  
“I will apologize later with another tea? Or maybe with some candies?” he proposed gently and she puffed her cheek.  
“You are rude and I’m not a kid. Want me to show you? You can actually apologize letting me have a night with you” she whispered, soft smile shifting to a playful smirk.  
Chanyeol shook his head, chuckling.  
He was already accustomed to her behavior and proposal like that didn’t faze him anymore.  
“You are such a tease” he whispered lowly and Mary smiled at him, shaking her head and entering the shop before him.  
The owner of the shop was a short man with auburn hair and the face of an angel.  
“Welcome to Girl’s problems” he greeted and they both nodded shortly.  
“Do you happen to know my sister Bunny?” Mary asked him briefly and he beamed at her.  
“Sure, Bunny! She always come here on Fridays and she buys a lot of candies. Even if it’s more than a month that I don’t see her? Something happened?” he inquired immediately worried and Mary hummed softly.  
“She disappeared. And there were voices of her having a… fixed relationship” she explained trying to be secretive and the owner sighed softly, closing the entrance glass door and putting the closed sign.  
“She has, yes. And I told her that could be dangerous, but she didn’t listen to me” he started and Mary frowned immediately, gripping harder on her bag.  
“What do you mean?” she asked him, worried, and the man made a gesture to them to sit near the counter where two tall chairs were standing.  
They both sat as requested and he sighed deeply.  
“My name is Kim Minseok, but everyone calls me simply Min. It’s easier and, as Bunny and you two, I’m not American by birth” he started and they both nodded.  
“I met Bunny last summer. She is sparkling and beautiful and her smile contagious” he started, his voice was low and his tone caring, and Mary nodded softly, short smile appearing on her lips.  
“I don’t know exactly when we started speaking more personally, knowing about our lives and so on. It just happened” Minseok continued and Chanyeol nodded briefly.  
“She came to me five months ago, telling me that she had a relationship with a married man” he whispered shaking his head and Mary pressed her lips in a thin line, gripping again harder on her bag.  
“Bunny is so in love with him that she doesn’t understand anything I told her. It is oh so clear that he doesn’t care at all about her but only about her body” he stated hatefully, sadness tinting his stare and tone, making Mary sigh deeply.  
“Are you sure he was married?” Chanyeol asked him and Minseok nodded.  
“Bunny told me one evening, she was crying and she had a blue bruise near her ear and I told her that wasn’t love, that she was mistaking but she didn’t want to hear me” he whispered and Mary clicked her tongue, shaking her head.  
She sat up, unable to be stay still anymore.  
“Did you see her after that time? Did she tell you anything else?” Mary asked him but Minseok shook his head.  
“Unfortunately, no” he whispered briefly and Mary shook her head too.  
“Idiot, she is an idiot” she sighed biting her lips, continuously shaking her head.  
She started walking around the room, pinching her lips with her fingers.  
“I’m sorry, madam, and I hope you will find Bunny as soon as possible, safe and sound” Minseok concluded and Mary nodded softly.  
“Thank you, Mr. Kim. I’m grateful and I hope to find my sister as soon as possible too” she concluded forcing a small smile and, after few more words and greetings, they finally went away.  
As they exited the shop, Mary started to walk along the street and reasoning talking out loud.  
“If my sister was really seeing a married man, probably she met him at Black Pearl, right? And maybe he was the same man Dae saw that night, arguing with her?” she started and Chanyeol hummed in thought.  
“Maybe? Otherwise what other activities has your sister?” he asked Mary who slightly pinched her lips with her fingers, thinking.  
She was so fascinating and Chanyeol wanted so much to take her fingers and kiss them.  
He pushed away those thoughts again because he knew that it wasn’t a good thing.  
“Sometimes she plays tennis in a private club? She started last year with some money that she earnt with her work…” Mary started, shaking her head.  
“I don’t know a thing about tennis and it is a private club, they won’t ever let us enter if we are not enrolled” she added, deciding what was better to do.  
Chanyeol nodded shortly, perfectly understanding what she was hinting to.  
That kind of club was always super secretive on their members and activities.  
“How illegal is sneaking into a private tennis club?” Mary asked him innocently, staring at him and smiling candidly.  
Chanyeol chuckled shortly, shaking his head.  
“If no one finds out, it’s not illegal” he replied shrugging his shoulder briefly and Mary let out a bright laugh, shaking her head too.  
“So, you are up to it, Mr. Park? Won’t this stain your reputation?” she asked him, stopping midway and staring again at him.  
He forced a short smile.  
“I don’t have a good reputation either, Miss Mary. I am not exactly the person you think I am” he replied shortly, patting his jacket for his packet of cigarette and lighting one up when he found it, and Mary frowned shortly.  
“Mr. Park, should I worry about something?” she asked him jokingly, but her stare was fixed on Chanyeol’s face, who forced another smile.  
“I won’t do anything you wouldn’t” he breathed, puffing out some smoke, and she chuckled again.  
“Oh, I would sure appreciate it since it’s almost since the first time we saw each other that I’m asking for a night out with you…” she joked and Chanyeol shook his head huffing briefly.  
“When we will find you sister, maybe…” he added shortly, throwing the cigarette on the floor, stomping on it, and she nodded softly.  
“It won’t be my payment, though. I’ve already told you, I…” she started but Chanyeol shook his head, hands fixing a strand of her hair behind her ear.  
“I know” he whispered lowly, staring at her, and he wanted so much to simply leant in and kiss her.  
Finally savor her lips and feeling her scent again and close that distance once and forever.  
However, there was something in Mary’s stare that stopped him.  
She was… worried.  
Even if he didn’t exactly know about what but she was.  
So, he simply smiled again at her and started to walk again down the street, followed by her.  
There was a small moment of silence and then Mary sighed softly.  
“When?” she asked him and Chanyeol hummed in thought.  
“In two days. I will pick you up at seven at Black Pearl” he stated briefly considering what he had to do and his other unsettled matters, and Mary nodded shortly.  
Chanyeol escorted her to Black Pearl again and then went back to his office.  
Whatever was almost happening that afternoon wasn’t something that Mary wanted.  
He had to be more careful around her.  
She played around a lot, but apart for her work, all those words didn’t have much weight.  
And Chanyeol didn’t want to force anything on her nor to find themselves in awkward situations.  
Because, as he said to Sehun that morning, Chanyeol and Mary were bonded only through a work relationship and once they would find Mary’s sister, they would go for each other’s ways without seeing each other anymore.  
Chanyeol couldn’t risk his work and his sanity for something fleeting as those feelings.

  
As promised he went to pick her up in two days, seven at Black Pearl.  
She was wearing a peach colored short skirt, almost like the tennis uniform, and a rosé blouse.  
“You really like pink” Chanyeol stated when she sat on the passenger seat of his car and she beamed at him.  
“Pink is girl’s color” she replied and Chanyeol shook his head, chuckling.  
“There’s also lilac, violet, purple, blue…” he started but she pouted softly.  
“No, no, Mr. Park. Pink is my color” she concluded decisively, crossing her arms, and he nodded briefly, smiling at her.  
“As you say, Miss Mary” he concluded, driving away toward the tennis club.  
When they arrived everything was closed, obviously and the darkness reigned all around the building too.  
“Why your reputation is not good, Mr. Park?” Mary asked him, walking around the building and looking for the back entrance and finding it not so far.  
Chanyeol followed her interested in what she was doing.  
It was strange because for being a private club there wasn’t any surveillance or guards outside the building.  
“Before being a private detective, I was a police officer. Something went wrong and I changed work but couldn’t stay away from crimes” he replied briefly, giving only an half true reply.  
It wasn’t that easy, actually.  
He lost his job because he got too stuck in a homicide case he couldn’t solve.  
A case that got also his former partner being killed trying to find the real culprit behind it.  
Chanyeol never managed to fully accept what happened and he used even illegal methods to get to solution.  
But when he got there, it was too late, and he couldn’t have justice as he wanted.  
Not the legal justice at least.  
They made it seem like it was self-defense, but Chanyeol knew which was the reality.  
He killed the man even before telling him “Police, stop” or “you are under arrest”.  
Obviously, there were consequences for what he did and one of those was being radiated by police ranks.  
Not that Chanyeol missed police, at all, instead he kind of liked his current work and he wouldn’t go back to his previous one for nothing in the world.  
“Will you ever tell me what actually happened?” Mary asked him, fingers touching her hair, looking for something.  
Chanyeol huffed, staring at her perplexed not getting what she was doing.  
“Maybe…” he started but she chuckled, stopping him immediately.  
“When we found my sister, yes, sure, understood” she finished for him and finally found what she was looking for.  
It was a long, black hairpin.  
She leant in toward the door and started lockpicking the big door chain.  
Chanyeol wanted to intervene or to stop her but in less than one minute she was already done.  
The lock clicked open and she smiled softly, satisfied with the result.  
“Gently, gently” she whispered making it slide and pushing the door open.  
“Miss Mary, what kind of work did you do before taking your sister’s place?” he asked her, stunned and speechless, but she chuckled gently.  
“You know already” she replied putting the hairpin back, and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Secretaries don’t lockpick doors…” he started but she pressed a finger on his lips, making him shut up.  
“I do. If there’s a problem, you can wait outside” she concluded, pushing the door open, and he sighed deeply shaking his head, starting to walk around, looking for women’s locker room.  
The inside of the building was all marble and velvet on the floors.  
Chanyeol was marveled by the amount of money the owner put in that for making it that lavish.  
And also wondered how high was the monthly fee for something like that.  
They found the women’s locker room at the first floor, not so far from men’s one, and only after hiding for few minutes from a night guard.  
There was indeed a guard, a bit sleepy and slow, that passed through corridors with a small lantern.  
Mary entered it briefly, trying not to make any sound with the door and looking for Bunny’s locker.  
It was the last one of the third row and Mary, with her excellent proficiency in lockpicking, opened that one too.  
She inhaled deeply before opening it.  
“I’m sorry” she whispered, starting to rustle between her sister’s belongings.  
Between clothes and tennis equipment, there were some letters, a photo and a blue little box.  
When Mary opened it, there was a small silvery ring inside and she sighed softly, shaking her head before taking with her everything and closing again the locker.  
As they entered, they also exited, Mary closing each single door she opened behind her again, including the back door.  
They sat in Chanyeol’s car in silence, Mary studying the photo.  
It was a man in his forty, short hair, handsome smile.  
Mary passed it to Chanyeol who stared at it too.  
Nothing out of the ordinary.  
Exceptionally too ordinary.  
“What about the letters?” he asked Mary who was fast reading them, trying to grasp the most possible out of them.  
“The man is… Mr. James Lee? My sister seems to be wholeheartedly in love with him. And it seems that he promised her to leave her wife for her. This hypocrite” she stated and Chanyeol hummed shortly.  
James Lee wasn’t a new name under Los Angeles sordid affairs.  
Chanyeol knew him because he was suspected of a lot of illegal matters and also to be connected to the case where also Chanyeol’s partner lost his life.  
Then Mary stopped along the lines, pinching again her bottom lip with her fingers.  
“Oh heavens…” she whispered and Chanyeol frowned and before he could ask her some explanations, she folded again the letters putting them away and asking Chanyeol to drive her home.  
He frowned softly, but obeyed, driving again until the Black Pearl.  
Once there again, Chanyeol stopped the car, staring at her.  
“What was there in the letters?” he asked her briefly, curiosity getting the best of him and wanting to know more about them, and she shook her head, making gesture to go out of the car, but she had a small moment of dizziness and Chanyeol took her arm, stopping her.  
He was worried about her and they stared at each other briefly before he could speak again.  
“I will escort you upstairs. Did you eat something tonight?” he asked her softly, hand not leaving her arm, and she shook her head making Chanyeol sigh in exasperation.  
“Then Black Pearl can wait for another half an hour” he concluded, not letting her go down of his car and driving toward the nearest drive-in.  
They weren’t exactly fitting in the place, especially seeing how they were dressed, but Chanyeol pushed the menu toward Mary who almost refused it for a moment, but then accepted it, reading it.  
“I know that your sister is important for you, Miss Mary, but you should care more about yourself too” Chanyeol whispered and she shook her head.  
“I do. I really do. Doesn’t it show up too?” she replied but it was clearly a faked tone and something that maybe someone that didn’t know her could have accepted.  
But Chanyeol knew her more that she expected.  
He knew when she was lying or she wasn’t sincere.  
“Miss Mary…” he started, voice reproaching, and she sighed, finally closing the menu with a low thud and staring at him.  
“Why you care so much about me or this case, Mr. Park?” she asked him, stare not leaving Chanyeol’s face.  
“Because I want you to find your sister and be happy?” he replied trying to be honest as much as he could, and she chuckled, shaking her head.  
“Sure” she concluded, not adding anything else and focusing on her food.  
She ate in silence, not asking nor stating anything and Chanyeol respected her silence, simply staying there and smoking while she ate.  
And always in silence he brought her back to Black Pearl.  
Once there, he parked.  
“May at least escort you upstairs, so that I know you won’t stop anywhere else and simply rest?” he asked her, still worried, and she shook her head briefly.  
“It won’t be necessary, Mr. Park. Have a good night and thanks for the dinner” she concluded leaning in and kissing Chanyeol on his cheek before exiting the car and walking inside Black Pearl without turning back.  
Chanyeol was… perplexed.  
He couldn’t get Mary’s behavior.  
For some ways she tried her best to push him as far as possible from her life, but on the other she continued to invite him in, so tempting and sensual.  
And it wasn’t only because of her work, or so Chanyeol wanted to think.  
He sighed deeply realizing that his feeling for the woman were contrasting too.  
He knew that they were related only because she was looking for her sister.  
That and no other reasons.  
However, he couldn’t do any better if not feeling attracted both romantically and not from her.  
And that could be a bigger problem than expected, especially if somehow as dangerous as Lee was involved in that matter.

  
In few days, they saw again because Mary called him in the office, a thing she never did before and that surprised Chanyeol sufficiently enough.  
“We never went to my sister’s room here at Black Pearl. Maybe there’s something…” she started when he replied at the phone.  
“I thought it was the very first place where you looked, actually” he replied frowning briefly.  
Mary was clever enough to know what could be useful in Bunny’s missing case or not.  
Especially because she knew her sister better than Chanyeol did, so she would have known better the places where she could have hidden something.  
“And I did. But maybe I wasn’t looking for the right thing or I am missing something that you could get?” she added, guessing and her tone was worried, as if something tormented her more than usual.  
“Miss Mary, everything is fine? Why bringing up only now your sister’s rooms?” he asked her briefly, lighting up a cigarette and she inhaled deeply.  
“Will you come by or not? I will go alone otherwise” she replied icily, and he sighed softly, shaking his head.  
Maybe there was something else that worried her and she couldn’t quite explain with her words.  
Or simply she had some problems entering her sister’s room alone?  
“I’m on my way there” he concluded, hanging up the phone.  
It wasn’t a common thing to go to Black Pearl during day hour and once there the place seemed to be completely different from the night.  
There were kids playing around, people passing through the streets and it seemed to be a place like every other else.  
He knocked on the door briefly and Mary herself opened the door.  
She was wearing a black shirt and a red velvet skirt.  
Way more sober than other days, no traces of pink anywhere.  
And that already alarmed Chanyeol.  
He never saw her with such dark colors.  
Mary gestured a greeting and guided him toward her sister’s room, on the first floor not so far from hers.  
Silent Mary was something to be feared.  
Chanyeol didn’t know what she was thinking about and that made him unsure.  
And it wasn’t usual not to hear her voice at all or having her so cold.  
She pushed open the door of Bunny’s room, preceding him inside.  
Chanyeol was perplexed by the amount of things stored in that room.  
On every shelf there were boxes of perfume, make-up, rings and earrings, hairpins.  
The room had the same perfume he always found on Mary too.  
Flowery, maybe lily and rose and a bit of lavender.  
The bed was made.  
“May I look around?” he asked Mary who nodded shortly.  
He started opening the drawers of the desk where there was a big mirror, probably where she prepared herself for her shows or her guests.  
He leant in, rustling between things, mainly brushes for make-up and lipsticks.  
When he tried to open the last one, he found it locked.  
“Was it locked also last time?” he asked toward Mary who frowned softly, nearing him.  
“I didn’t try to open every drawer, actually. I thought they were all identical, since the first four were all full of… trinkets?” she whispered in reply but hands already moving to her hair, pulling out a hairpin and crouching near him and starting to rummage with the lock.  
“Never overlook these…” Chanyeol started but she glared at him icily.  
She didn’t add anything but it wasn’t even necessary.  
The silence came again in the room and the only sound was Mary’s hairpin in the lock.  
“Dammit” she whispered pulling the hairpin out and opening it better before re-inserting it and retrying to open it.  
The lock clicked open after few more tries and Mary clicked her tongue, annoyed but satisfied.  
She pulled it open revealing a diary, more letters and more photos.  
The photos were again about the man in the photo they found in Bunny’s locker at the tennis club.  
Even if some of them were also of places that Chanyeol recognized to be the harbor.  
Only that, no person no nothing else.  
Mary took the diary and opened it, scrolling through the pages filled by Bunny’s writing.  
She stopped at the last page, where she stopped mid-sentence.  
“If he only…” there was written, and Mary closed the diary with a low thud.  
“She is an idiot. The biggest idiot in this world” she whispered, clearly speaking her thought out loud more than expecting a reply from Chanyeol.  
She took also the letters, but she didn’t open them.  
Mary helped Chanyeol looking around a while more, but they didn’t find anything else.  
Chanyeol wanted to propose her to read the letters together but Mary sighed deeply.  
“Sorry for making you come here for something so stupid, Mr. Park” she whispered, clearly disappointed by what they didn’t find, and he frowned briefly.  
“Is something troubling you? Did you get some information you didn’t share with me?” he asked her who stared back at him, shortly before shaking her head, shifting her stare away.  
But in that half a second, Chanyeol knew that there was something she was hiding him.  
“Miss Mary…” he started but she shook her head again.  
“Don’t. And not with that tone. Why do you care so much about this? About me?” she asked him voice slightly cracking at the end, making Chanyeol sigh softly.  
“I’ve already told you…” he started but she shook her head interrupting him.  
“It’s not that. And we both know, so stop lying” she stated staring at him in the eyes, waiting for him to tell something.  
But Chanyeol shook his head.  
He knew that she was more than right, and he didn’t have interest only in finding Bunny.  
He most probably was in love with her.  
And cared about her more than he could care to admit.  
However, he couldn’t simply tell her that he was in love with her.  
It was something that both of them didn’t want and would do their best to avoid.  
“It’s only work, and you know it too” he replied forcing his tone, and she nodded, stare shifting away, clearly disappointed by Chanyeol’s reply.  
He didn’t know if that was the right thing to do but, in that moment, he felt like he just slapped her.  
“Miss Mary…” he started trying to adjust things, even if he already hurt her, but she pulled his necktie, pushing him against the door behind him.  
“I’m not stupid, Mr. Park, and life taught me that nothing comes for free. So… May I start paying you back for something? Like the other day tea or that dinner?” she stated, staring at him in the eyes and he really wanted to refuse her, not properly understanding how they passed from arguing to that, but one of her hand was already caressing his trousers, nearing dangerously to his crotch.  
“At least a bit? Nothing too much…” she whispered, sensually, kneeling down in front of him, fingers skillfully opening both his belt and trousers.  
He muffled a groan, but Mary’s fingers were already touching his boxers, palming him, and making him immediately half-hard.  
“I know you will appreciate it, Mr. Park…” she whispered, licking her lips and pulling down his boxer, revealing Chanyeol’s erection.  
Before he could even realize it, Mary’s mouth was on his erection kissing and licking it, gently.  
Chanyeol felt it twitch and it was such a long time since last time someone touched him like that, that he was surprised by how hard he already was.  
And when she gently sucked his tip, Chanyeol’s hand moved on its own, carding his fingers in her hair and pulling slightly.  
“You like it here?” she asked him, repeating the gesture and Chanyeol had to repress a moan again.  
Mary took all his erection in her mouth and started sucking him, slowly, taking her time and Chanyeol moved his stare to her, watching her like she was a wonder and she was doing miracles.  
Because it was like that he felt in that moment.  
And when she fastened her pace, taking everything of him better in her mouth, Chanyeol thought he could die happily.  
The warm and wet sensation, her lips on his erection, the way she stared back at him or hummed lowly when he gripped slightly harder on her hair or pushed a bit further in her mouth.  
Everything was perfect and he wanted more of it.  
Mary probably felt it too and she started sucking faster, helping her movement with her hand and the base of Chanyeol’s shaft.  
And he didn’t need to ask for more, because she kind of sensed it and fastened the pace even more.  
“Miss Mary…” he called her, feeling his release getting nearer and nearer.  
She hummed again, tongue twirling around his erection, sucking harder again and he pulled her hair, shortly.  
“Pull away, I’m coming…” he whispered but she didn’t, making him come hard in her mouth, panting and chasing every little moment of it until the very end.  
Mary swallowed everything, licking him clean and cleaning her mouth with the back of her hand, before standing once again in front of Chanyeol.  
“Why?” Chanyeol asked her, pulling up his trousers and shaking his head perplexed.  
Mary chuckled shortly, even if it was sad, almost ironic, not her usual joyful chuckle.  
“It’s my work, Mr. Park. And it’s a compensation for last time tea and scones and that night’s diner” she whispered, smiling at him in a way he never saw on her lips, and Chanyeol hummed briefly.  
Work.  
Indeed.  
Mary did it just because she got Chanyeol in something apparently bigger than a simple missing person case, so he gave him some kind of compensation.  
Because it was part of her work too.  
And because like that, whatever would have happened after that, she had something to use against Chanyeol.  
“Won’t you tell me what was written in those letters?” Chanyeol asked her and she shook her head.  
“Maybe next time” she concluded, pressing her lips in a thin line, avoiding Chanyeol’s stare on her face, and Chanyeol sighed deeply before shaking his head too.  
“Perfect. See you next time” he concluded briefly, exiting the room and returning to the car.  
He didn’t have to be that near to her.  
He had to keep the distance.  
Something like that wasn’t supposed to happen and shouldn’t be happening anytime sooner.  
Mary was dangerous and he was too soft with her.

  
Their next time, though, didn’t wait too much to happen.  
Chanyeol didn’t hear of Mary for three day straight and he started to think that whatever happened between them compromised also the search of Mary’s sister.  
However, one night he was almost going to sleep when the phone in his office started to ring.  
He went downstairs again, taking the call.  
Chanyeol usually would have ignored it, being so late, but he felt a bad omen and decided to take it in the end.  
“Private detective Park speaking” he replied and on the other line there was a deep sigh.  
“So glad to find you up, Park” a manly voice whispered, and Chanyeol immediately recognized it as inspector Do Kyungsoo.  
They were not exactly friends but had some good collaborations, recognizing each other’s talent.  
And they knew from even before, since also Kyungsoo was in the same team where Chanyeol was when he still was a police officer.  
As Sehun, Kyungsoo never hid his Korean heredity.  
“Inspector, it’s pretty late. Troubles in heaven?” he asked him but Kyungsoo huffed before telling to fuck off.  
“Did you received any… request for a missing woman?” he started asking him and Chanyeol frowned.  
“Why?” he inquired sitting at his desk, interested, and on the other side he heard another sigh.  
“I have a beautiful young woman in our morgue and I don’t know who she is” he replied and Chanyeol cringed, before shaking his head briefly.  
“Can I come and see her?” he asked him, fearing the worst, and Kyungsoo told him to do as he pleased.  
Instead of go sleeping, Chanyeol took the car and drove until the police station smoking all the way there, and he didn’t even have to require Kyungsoo to assist him, because he was already there waiting for Chanyeol.  
He guided him downstairs to the morgue where there was always that strong smell and dark penumbra that made Chanyeol shiver even after all those years.  
When Kyungsoo showed him the girl, Chanyeol was speechless.  
She was identical to Mary.  
Like her perfect exact copy.  
Mary never mentioned her and Bunny being twins.  
“I think I know her…” Chanyeol whispered and Kyungsoo frowned deeply.  
Chanyeol shook his head, unable to shift his stare away, feeling the atrocious realization that it could be Mary on that cold table instead of her sister.  
And that hurt him more than he would care to admit.  
“Not know, like know. Her sister asked me to find her…” he added, fingers carding in his hair and wondering how he could tell Mary about her sister.  
“I’m sorry about the loss. However, it seems that it’s not a natural death, so I need her to come here and identify her. And also maybe telling us something about her life” he added and Chanyeol frowned briefly.  
“Someone shot her, Park, in the back. Thrice. Definitely not an accident” he added and Chanyeol nodded softly, declaring definitely too that it wasn’t an accident at all.  
Someone wanted her dead for sure.  
“I’ll go phone her” he concluded and went upstairs, followed by Kyungsoo, to go and call Black Pearl.  
He didn’t know how many illegal things they did in there, but Mary needed to know about her sister as soon as possible.  
The phone rang twice before Johnny took the call.  
“I’m Park, Mary is there? I have an urgent matter to discuss with her” he stated voice low and tired, and Johnny put him on hold to go and call Mary.  
In no more than two minutes, she came at the phone.  
“Mr. Park? What’s the matter so late in the night? Missed me?” she joked but her voice was trembling.  
It was lower than usual and wavering.  
She already knew something.  
Like if she was waiting for that call.  
“Miss Mary, please sit down and listen carefully” he started briefly, trying to prepare her to what he was about to tell her, but she deeply sighed.  
“She’s dead, right?” she asked him and Chanyeol hummed softly and wanted to express his condolences, but she cleared her throat, shortly.  
When she spoke again, her voice was low, hard, like she wasn’t speaking about her sister.  
“How?” she asked him and Chanyeol bit his lips.  
It wasn’t exactly the best to tell her how her sister was killed.  
“Miss Mary, I…” he started trying to explain himself and give her some time to digest the news, but she stopped him immediately.  
“Tell me how” she repeated and Chanyeol inhaled deeply.  
“She was shot. Thrice in the back. They need you to come and identify the body” he stated briefly, and she sighed even deeply than before.  
“Fine. I’ll go there tomorrow morning, as soon as they open to common people. I don’t think they are willing to wait so late for someone as my sister” she concluded and even before Chanyeol could tell anything, she hung up.  
Chanyeol sighed again too, putting down the receiver and then staring back to Kyungsoo.  
“She will come here tomorrow morning as soon as she can” he concluded and Kyungsoo nodded softly.  
“Go home now. No need to stay here” Kyungsoo concluded and Chanyeol nodded.  
“Thanks again for letting me know about her” Chanyeol whispered and Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders.  
“I needed to know who she was nevertheless” he stated and they both greeted before going each other to their own way.  
Chanyeol was sad to know about Mary’s sister.  
He really did want to find her alive.  
He wanted to give her back to her sister.  
But life seemed to have different plans for all of them.

  
Chanyeol was sitting in his office the following morning when Sehun entered like a tornado, without knocking or announcing himself.  
“Loey, we have a fucking problem!” he stated and Chanyeol frowned deeply, making him gesture to sit.  
Sehun sat down and took a deep breath.  
“I come from police station” he started and Chanyeol nodded.  
“The woman in the morgue was identified” he added and Chanyeol nodded again.  
“I know. It’s Mary’s sister” he whispered briefly but Sehun shook his head.  
“No, no. She is Mary” Sehun stated and Chanyeol frowned even deeply, ready to question him but Sehun stopped him immediately.  
“Let me rephrase it. The dead woman is Byun Mari. She was identified by her brother this morning to the central station” he stated and Chanyeol shook his head but Sehun stopped him again.  
“I know, it’s strange but hear me out, okay?” he stated decided and Chanyeol hummed, gesturing him to speak.  
He didn’t know where Sehun wanted to arrive with that discourse but he seemed to be quite sure about himself and Chanyeol wanted to understand exactly what was happening.  
“Inspector Do asked me if you were sure about the deceased having a sister. Because after that her brother came and identify her this morning, they were able to make some research on her and her family. Byun family is long gone, but they had a son and a daughter: Baekhyun and Mari” he explained and Chanyeol was shook.  
But what shook him even more was what Sehun told him.  
“I thought I was becoming stupid too, when you asked me to find Mary’s sister because apparently she didn’t exist anywhere” he started and Chanyeol frowned.  
Indeed, Sehun wasn’t exactly useful in that case, since he wasn’t able to find anything about Mary’s sister.  
“But if you told me from the very start that you were looking for Bunny, I would have asked you if you were dumb because Mary and Bunny are the same person!” he added making Chanyeol frown even deeper.  
“Wait, what?” he asked him and Sehun sighed shaking his head.  
“Loey, turn on your brain, please. Bunny was Mary’s stage name” he stated and in Chanyeol’s head all the lights finally lighted up.  
If Mari Bunny Byun was the woman deceased in police morgue and Mary didn’t have any sister, the question was only one.  
Who was the person that pretended to be Mary?  
“So, who’s Mary?” he asked Sehun who shook his head, as perplexed as him.  
Chanyeol never felt as betrayed in that moment.  
That person deceived him and maybe was also involved with Mary’s homicide.  
He never felt so stupid before.  
And he had feelings for a person he knew nothing about?  
He wanted to slap himself.  
Chanyeol sat up without even asking any other question and took his car, driving until Black Pearl even if it was morning and he knew he would find it closed.  
He knocked on the door until Jondae came and opened it.  
“I need to see her” Chanyeol stated even before greeting him, and when Jondae tried to interject, Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Let me see her” he repeated and Jondae let him enter, making him gesture to follow him until the usual hall.  
The lights were all off, apart for the counter ones, when Mary was sitting.  
Her hair was tied up in a thin ponytail and she was dressed as a man.  
White shirt, black suit, necktie.  
“Why are you here?” she asked him briefly, without even turning around to stare at him, and the tone of her voice was deeper, completely different for her high pitched one.  
“Who are you? If Mari Byun is dead” he inquired her, tone harsh, and she chuckled softly, shaking her head.  
“You are not so clever to be a detective, Mr. Park” she whispered and Chanyeol neared her.  
He wanted to ask her so many things but she shook her head again, sadness showing in her gesture.  
“I’m nobody, detective. I just want to know what happened to Mari. Does it have any relevance if I’m not her but just took her place?” she asked him and Chanyeol hummed, sitting near her.  
Chanyeol thought about it while he was driving to Black Pearl.  
The person who pretended to be Mary wasn’t someone foreign to all that situation.  
It was someone that knew Mary deeply and that was somehow blood-related with her, seeing the stunning resemblance between Mary and the person he had in front of him and pretended to be Mary up till that moment.  
“Do you think I wouldn’t notice? You and Mari are way too similar” he started in a whisper and she chuckled softly, shaking her head.  
“Then why you ask me?” she asked him and Chanyeol sighed deeply.  
“Was it you the one who identified her this morning?” he inquired and the person in front of him nodded briefly.  
“Sorry for deceiving you, detective. I’m Mari’s twin brother, Baekhyun. I took her place to know what happened to her” he whispered softly, finally revealing his real voice not the one made of high-pitched tone and strange falsettos.  
Baekhyun’s voice was low, deep and so tired and so sad that Chanyeol could feel all those feelings inside him too.  
“Why you didn’t tell me before?” he asked him and Baekhyun chuckled bitterly, shaking his head.  
“Would have you listened to me otherwise? Would you helped me as you would have helped Mary?” he inquired and Chanyeol wanted to reply but Baekhyun stopped him.  
“Whatever happened to my sister is not your business anymore” he whispered, stare shifting away.  
However, Chanyeol wanted to know more about that story, about what happened to Mary and what forced Baekhyun to take her place.  
“I’m already too much into this, I’ll help you find what happened and who is the one that killed her” Chanyeol declared and Baekhyun sighed deeply, shaking his head, emeralds faintly shining in the lights.  
“I don’t need your help. I’ll find him by myself and kill him with my own hands” he replied emptying the content of the cup in front of him that was creamy color, surely corrected with something alcoholic.  
Jondae shook his head in front of them.  
“Don’t tell bullshits, Baek. You know you can’t. You would ruin all your…” he started but Baekhyun stopped him immediately.  
“I don’t care about my life or my work. She was the brightest star for me, my precious little sister” he whispered and Chanyeol sighed deeply, shaking his head too.  
“Let me help you. When we will know what happened, you will do as you please” he stated and Baekhyun frowned, for the first time staring at Chanyeol.  
“Why are you helping me? Is it for…?” he started but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“For your sister. Two can think and look better than one” he interrupted him and Baekhyun pinched his bottom lip with his fingers and nodded shortly.  
“Unfortunately, I still need your help, Mr. Park. But luckily for you, I am wealthier than my sister was. I will pay you at the end of this story” he stated and Chanyeol huffed.  
“We can talk of payment when all of this will be over. I don’t want to hear about payment or money while we investigate what happened to her” he retorted, shaking his head and Baekhyun smiled briefly.  
“I’m glad to know that there was someone that loved her so much” he observed and Chanyeol frowned briefly.  
He never knew Mary.  
The real Mary.  
He always had to do with Baekhyun pretending to be her.  
So, was Chanyeol really doing that for Mary?  
But Baekhyun didn’t leave him any more time to think about it.  
“Mari and her man didn’t meet here in Black Pearl because otherwise he would have confronted me sometime in the last two months” he started and Chanyeol hummed softly.  
“So… the tennis club?” he proposed and Baekhyun scrunched his nose in distaste.  
“I hate tennis. How in the world she managed to play that heavens awful sport?” he stated, shaking his head and Chanyeol smiled briefly.  
“You can pretend to be her a bit more? And try to force your way in the tennis club?” Chanyeol proposed him and Baekhyun sighed deeply.  
“You decided to stay here as her until the end of the month nevertheless” Jondae added but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“I can just for few days more. Police will come here asking about her and I don’t want them to question my presence or the fact that I pretended to be her” he started explaining but Chanyeol stopped him.  
“Actually, it is better if they know. Otherwise they won’t have a reliable version of the facts?” he noted and Baekhyun sighed asking Jondae another cup of whatever he was drinking.  
“You already had three. Maybe it’s not so was to have a fourth one…” Jondae commented and Baekhyun shook his head, frowning.  
“Didn’t know you cared so much about my health, Dae” he commented but Jondae shook his head too.  
“It’s because you and Mr. Park here are the only ones really interested in what really happened to Mary. So you can’t die yet” he replied making Baekhyun snort.  
“Sure, sure. Not because we are friends since the age of four and your mother raised us as your brothers” he replied and Jondae smiled at him.  
“Definitely not” he concluded, earning himself a tired smile from Baekhyun.  
“Will you come with me tomorrow, Mr. Park? Let’s go to that tennis club again, and this time let’s enter from the front door” Baekhyun proposed him and Chanyeol nodded shortly, making Jondae frown.  
“You forced your way into the tennis club?” he asked them and Baekhyun smile innocently, for a moment identical to his sister.  
“Who? Us? No, we could never” he replied making Chanyeol shake his head, huffing.  
“Says the one who open locks with hairpins” he added and Baekhyun smirked briefly.  
“You just envy my skills” he concluded sitting up and Chanyeol sat up too.  
“I know that you are doing it for my sister, Mr. Park, but I’m still grateful about it. Thank you” Baekhyun told him, smiling softly and Chanyeol really wanted to tell him that it wasn’t for that reason, but he didn’t know for what other reason he was doing it and trying to explain all the contrasting feelings he was having in that moment would result more difficult than expected so he simply let it slide that way.  
“Let’s find out what really happened” he concluded, offering his hand to Baekhyun who shook it decidedly.  
All that story was taking a weird turn.  
Mary not being Mary but her twin brother.  
Those letters that Baekhyun never let him read.  
And that sentence on the last page of Mary’s diary.  
If only he…  
Obviously letting alone those feelings he had for the Mary he met in that last months and he didn’t know how much it was similar to Mary or to Baekhyun.  
And was it possible for him to be in love with a man instead of a woman?  
He shook his head shortly before greeting again Baekhyun and Jondae and going back to his office.  
Once there, he called Sehun in his office, explaining him what he came to know speaking with Baekhyun.  
“Tell me about Mary” he stated when he ended updating Sehun on the news and he frowned at the question.  
“What do you…?” he started but Chanyeol explained himself, lighting himself a cigarette and smoking slowly.  
“I met her brother who pretended to be her. Not herself, right?” he asked him and Sehun hummed.  
“I think, yes. I mean, I’m not so sure. You should ask Mr. Byun about the precise date…” he started but Chanyeol interrupted him again.  
“What I mean is that you saw her when she was still Mary, right? Before Mr. Byun took her place” he added and Sehun nodded.  
“You want to know if there were differences between them?” he asked directly, trying to get to Chanyeol’s point, and Chanyeol nodded.  
“Mary was more… ditsy? Not in the negative sense, but lighter, and laughed for the most stupid things. Maybe it was a character that she forged herself to show to her guests, but I got the impression that Mr. Byun’s Mary was more mature, more composed. And especially more attentive to the people who he came across with” he explained and Chanyeol nodded shortly, humming softly.  
“They were totally different, you are saying?” he asked Sehun, who chuckled softly.  
“Yeah, sort of. Like sun and moon. Bunny was joyful, always laughing, while Mr. Byun’s Mary was shining faintly in the night, fascinating but discreet, charming as moonlight” he replied and Chanyeol whistled in appreciation.  
“Such a poetical description, Sehun” he stated admiring and somehow impressed by Sehun’s word, and Sehun shook his head.  
“I kind of miss Bunny, even when Mary came back to the scenes. I thought that something happened to her, making her more mature and less naïve…” he whispered and Chanyeol patted slightly on Sehun’s shoulder.  
“I’m sorry for the loss, Sehunnie. If you need anything, I’m here” he commented but Sehun shook his head briefly.  
“Just let’s find out what happened to her, Loey” he concluded, nodding and Chanyeol hummed, decided to find out the same thing.

  
Next day Chanyeol went to pick Baekhyun up in the same place he always picked Mary up.  
He waited for ten minutes and then from the front door, Baekhyun exited from Black Pearl, dressed as Mary would.  
Pink dress with white lace on the neck.  
Pink hairpins in his hair.  
And the same lily and rose scent.  
“Morning” Baekhyun stated sitting on the passenger seat and Chanyeol forced a smile.  
“Your sister really loved pink” he observed and Baekhyun chuckled, staring at his own clothes.  
“It almost got normal to dress as she did that I didn’t even think in putting trouser and shirt. It will be a shock returning to my normal life” he declared, shaking his head, and Chanyeol hummed shortly.  
“That would be?” he asked him nonchalantly and Baekhyun shifted his stare out of the window.  
“You wouldn’t say but I’m a bank director” he replied honestly and Chanyeol arched his eyebrows, perplexed.  
“Indeed, I wouldn’t have expected” he stated and Baekhyun shook his head, clicking his tongue.  
“I’m just lucky to have nice collaborators that helped me covering up my absence” he concluded and Chanyeol sighed briefly.  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you, Mr. Byun” he stated apologetically and Baekhyun chuckled.  
“Insult me? Why? Because I was someone’s slut for some months? I did it to find my sister and I would do it for all my life if it meant having her back again” he declared looking toward Chanyeol who wanted to retort something, whatever, but he smiled tiredly.  
“And Baekhyun is fine. For a while more, and even if I’m not my sister, we are still partner in crime” he added and Chanyeol nodded shortly.  
“No more Mr. Park, then” he concluded and Baekhyun showed him a sweet smile before nodding.

  
Once they reached the tennis club parking, Baekhyun cleared his throat, shortly.  
“Mary once again?” he asked him with Mary’s voice and Chanyeol nodded briefly.  
“Thanks” he concluded exiting the car and fixing his hair in the small mirror.  
“Let’s go” he declared and Chanyeol followed him.  
At the entrance, they weren’t required an ID because the receptionist recognized Mary and let them enter without any further ado.  
“Now keep your eyes open and see if our Mr. Lee is around here” Baekhyun whispered him and Chanyeol nodded shortly.  
“And… Dae gave me this. It’s the key of his locker. He comes here too sometimes, and he put inside some equipment for you so that we can look around together better” he added giving him a small silver key.  
Chanyeol frowned and wanted to retort that those weren’t the agreements, but Baekhyun smiled at him softly.  
“Pretty please?” he asked him, forcing his voice higher, same tone Mary always used with him and he sighed taking the key and going toward the men’s locker room.  
He found Jondae’s locker and also the t-shirts and shorts that Jondae prepared for him.  
Chanyeol changed and took the racket, meeting again with Baekhyun in the corridor.  
Baekhyun whistled softly.  
“Suits you much, Mr. private detective” he joked and Chanyeol shook his head, ignoring his comment and walking around toward the fields and observing the people playing.  
“Look at nine” Chanyeol whispered him nodding toward a field where a person extremely similar to Lee was playing.  
Baekhyun turned the corner, going toward where the man was playing and Chanyeol had to almost run after him to stop him.  
And he pushed him inside a nearby storage closet just in time for Lee not to see them.  
It was narrow and filled of brooms and other cleaning facilities, so it was a bit tight for both of them.  
Chanyeol was literally pressing Baekhyun at the wall behind him, distance barely existing between them.  
“What were you thinking?” Chanyeol whispered him and Baekhyun frowned staring back at him.  
“What are you thinking, pushing us inside here?” he replied and Chanyeol shook his head briefly.  
“What if Lee saw you? How do we…?” Chanyeol started saying but Baekhyun pressed a finger on Chanyeol’s lips.  
They both remained silent, hearing footsteps passing near where they were.  
“Mr. Lee? Did you already meet with Miss Mary?” the receptionist voice said and a male voice replied, perplexed.  
“Mary? She’s here?” he asked back and the receptionist replied telling that she was with another man.  
“Another man?” the male voice inquired again and Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol, trying to make him let go of him but Chanyeol shook his head, stretching both of his arms near Baekhyun’ head, pining him at the wall.  
“Behave yourself” he whispered in his ear and Baekhyun nodded shortly without telling him anything else.  
“Yeah, tall, handsome looking and very formal. I thought was one of your men?” the receptionist added but Lee wasn’t happy about the news.  
“Find her and find me that man” he ordered and the receptionist obeyed immediately, footsteps going away from where Chanyeol was hiding with Baekhyun.  
“I don’t think it will be a friendly meeting” he whispered to Baekhyun who shook his head briefly.  
“Can you just not lean so close on me?” Baekhyun muttered back and Chanyeol straightened his back immediately.  
“Sorry” he added, stare shifting away.  
He was so near to Baekhyun who was dressed as Mary and her perfume was so sweet that he simply wanted to lean in and kiss him.  
“Would have you make a move on my sister if I was her?” Baekhyun asked him softly and Chanyeol frowned.  
“Why asking it…?” he started but Baekhyun pressed again a finger on Chanyeol’s lips.  
“Would you?” he asked him Chanyeol sighed deeply.  
“It doesn’t change a thing…” he tried again but Baekhyun frowned.  
“So you didn’t love her?” he asked him and Chanyeol sighed deeply.  
“Yes, I would” he replied in the end and Baekhyun’s stare went to his face immediately.  
He couldn’t risk telling Baekhyun that he never actually met his sister and that the only Mary he knew, and fell in love with, was him.  
“You loved…” he started but Chanyeol pushed a whole hand on his mouth, hearing footsteps nearing again the closet.  
“Boss, I think the receptionist mistook another for her. It’s impossible for her to be here” a man voice, different from the first one, stated and the first one chuckled.  
“Yeah, you are right. She can’t be here anymore” he replied in a whisper and Chanyeol had to literally manhandle Baekhyun to make him stay still.  
“Don’t. They will kill both of us” Chanyeol whispered him again pushing harder his hand on Baekhyun’s mouth.  
Footsteps went away again and only when there was again silence, Chanyeol let go Baekhyun.  
“It was the right moment…” Baekhyun tried to protest but Chanyeol stared at him, unbelieving.  
“Sure, if you want to make us killed” he replied and Baekhyun clicked his tongue, shaking his head.  
Chanyeol opened slowly the door, checking the corridor and then giving the okay to Baekhyun who exited with him.  
“Let’s go away” Chanyeol started but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“Now that I know that he’s here? Never” he stated but Chanyeol took his hand, stopping him to go away.  
“Won’t you trust me for this time?” Chanyeol asked him and Baekhyun frowned deeply before nodding shortly.  
Chanyeol pulled him again toward the locker rooms and they were almost there when Baekhyun pulled him again, making Chanyeol pining him again on the wall.  
Chanyeol was startled for a moment, not understanding what was happening, but every rational thought was cancelled when Baekhyun pulled at his shirt, kissing him on his lips, slowly, and Chanyeol was surrounded again by Mary’s perfume, letting himself go for a moment and kissing Baekhyun back.  
It was way too short, enough time to make the footsteps behind them pass through again.  
Chanyeol detached immediately, unwillingly, because Baekhyun’s lips were so sweet and so warm.  
“Let’s go” Baekhyun whispered and they entered both men’s locker room.  
Chanyeol started walking toward the different locker, trying to find Lee’s.  
Baekhyun found it and pulled one of his pink hairpins to open the lock.  
“Cover me” he whispered and Chanyeol stood near him checking on the door while Baekhyun opened the lock.  
“Will you ever tell me why a bank director knows how to lockpick?” Chanyeol asked him and Baekhyun chuckled softly, shaking his head.  
“I learnt when I was younger. It made me look cool to my friends, so I continued improving it without realizing how helpful it would actually be” he explained finally making the lock clicking open.  
“Let me see how dirty you are, Mr. Lee” Baekhyun whispered him and Chanyeol turned slightly toward him.  
“Put everything back as it was later” he remembered him and Baekhyun nodded shortly.  
Chanyeol heard him rustle around and then finally swear.  
“This fucking perverted” he stated pulling out some photos of various girls, including Mary, all nudes and in private environment and showing them to Chanyeol.  
He sighed deeply, shaking his head.  
“Check if there’s something more and let’s get out of here. If they find you here…” Chanyeol started but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“They won’t. Me and Jondae we have almost the same size. Let me free of these clothes and I’ll exit the front door as myself instead of my sister” he concluded rustling some more but without finding anything more if not more blue velvet boxes, containing small silver rings as they found in Mary’s locker.  
“That’s enough, Baekhyun. Let’s go” Chanyeol declared, moving to change himself too, and Baekhyun nodded, closing again Lee’s locker and going toward Jondae’s too.  
He started to undress without even flinching, pink dress leaving its place to black trousers and a wine red shirt, courtesy of Jondae.  
He even pulled out his pink hairpins, putting them inside his pockets, and pulling his hair in a small ponytail.  
Chanyeol was fascinated by the change.  
Baekhyun could be more than handsome while wearing men’s clothes.  
And pretty as a doll while wearing women’s clothes.  
He was a wonder and Chanyeol couldn’t do anything else if not being enthralled by him.  
“The emeralds are showing…” Chanyeol whispered, instinctively moving his hand toward Baekhyun that this time let him fix his collar for him.  
His lips were slightly parted, traces of pink lipstick still present on them and Chanyeol had the temptation to lean in and kissing them away, but simply gave him a handkerchief to clean it away.  
Chanyeol cleared his throat, moving his hands and his stare away from Baekhyun.  
“Why emerald?” he asked him out of the blue, just not to think about what was happening inside of him, and Baekhyun hummed briefly.  
“It’s our birthstone. And because our grand-mother always told her that she was prettier than emeralds” he replied softly, tone and stare getting sadder and Chanyeol wanted to caress his cheek gently, but he simply patted him on the shoulder.  
“We are almost there. Just a while longer” he whispered and Baekhyun’s stare moved on his face before forcing a sad smile.  
“Yeah. Just a while longer” he repeated closing Jondae’s locker and walking out of the locker room, followed by Chanyeol.  
Once in the parking lot, Chanyeol decided to drive them until his office before taking Baekhyun back to Black Pearl.  
“In case Sehun has some news for me, you will be here to know it too” he stated and Baekhyun nodded softly.

  
And it was like he was able to read Sehun’s mind because when Chanyeol set foot in his office, Sehun was already there.  
“Loey!” he exclaimed seeing him and waiving at him with some papers.  
With him there was also Kyungsoo.  
Sehun quieted down when also Baekhyun entered the door and he bowed shortly.  
“Mr. Byun” he greeted and Baekhyun bowed slightly back.  
“Mr. Oh” he whispered as greeting and Sehun smiled briefly at him.  
“It’s strange to see you like this” he commented in a mutter and Baekhyun chuckled, shaking his head.  
“I’m here as Mary’s brother right now, so, no skirt and no make-up” he replied and Kyungsoo sat up offering his hand to Baekhyun.  
“Again sorry for your loss, Mr. Byun” he started and Baekhyun nodded shortly.  
Chanyeol smiled softly at them.  
“You have some news for me?” he asked to Sehun and Kyungsoo who nodded in synchro.  
They stayed silent and Chanyeol stared at them waiting for them to speak up but no one told anything.  
“Then?” he asked and they both stared toward Baekhyun and even before anyone could tell something, Chanyeol sighed.  
“He knows more than we do. So please speak up” he stated shaking his head and starting to smoke, waiting, and Sehun frowned but spoke.  
“Mary was pregnant” he stated and Chanyeol frowned while Baekhyun almost choked on his own breath.  
“She was what?” he repeated shaking his head, unbelieving.  
“She was pregnant” Kyungsoo stated again but it seemed that bad news didn’t end there.  
“We found also a huge quantity of alcohol in her blood” he added and Baekhyun shook his head chuckling.  
“My sister was against alcohol. She didn’t drink even wine, nor beer or liquor” he stated but Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders, meaning that he was only stating the facts.  
“Maybe she wanted to tell us something…?” Sehun hinted and Chanyeol frowned softly, pressing the cigarette butt on the ashtray.  
There was a small silence while all of them thought about different hypothesis.  
What was the meaning behind all those happenings?  
Why Chanyeol still felt like he was missing more than something?  
“Does… James Lee tell you something?” Chanyeol asked out of the blue, trying to understand if they had more information compared to what he had, and both Sehun and Kyungsoo frowned.  
“He’s a multibillionaire asshole?” Sehun tried but Kyungsoo chuckled shaking his head.  
“It would be great if him being an asshole was the only problem. We suspect he owns the most prolific traffic of whiskey and prostitute in the city” he replied and Chanyeol hummed in thought.  
“So maybe there’s more to Mary’s death that a simple quarrel between fiancées?” he wondered out loud and Baekhyun slightly tapped on his shoulder.  
Chanyeol turned toward him and Baekhyun was frowning perplexed.  
“Those photos in her drawer…” he started, voice barely audible, and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“There were photos with Los Angeles harbor, right?” Baekhyun asked him, insisting, and Chanyeol nodded shortly.  
“Maybe it’s worth go and check it?” he suggested and Chanyeol hummed in thought.  
Baekhyun’s stare went to him, perplexed by Chanyeol’s silence and almost total lack of reply, but Kyungsoo was more than interested in what they found.  
“Is there something you are not telling me?” he asked to Chanyeol who shook his head softly.  
“No absolutely no. You know that I would never hide something to a fellow police officer” he replied immediately and Kyungsoo stared at him longer than expected but Chanyeol didn’t tell him anything.  
“So, she was pregnant” Baekhyun whispered and both Chanyeol’s and Kyungsoo’s stare was immediately on him.  
“She didn’t hint anything to you?” Kyungsoo asked him and Baekhyun shook his head.  
“She never did when she thought that she did something I wouldn’t approve of” he replied fingers carding through his hair, revealing how skinner he became in the last week.  
Not that Chanyeol regularly checked on him, but he kind of noticed it even before, when Baekhyun still pretended to be Mary, these changes of weight mainly caused by him forgetting to eat due to his stress and his focus on his sister’s case.  
“You stopped eating again?” Chanyeol asked him and he sighed, shaking his head.  
“I ate this morning” he replied but Chanyeol shook his head too, worried.  
“And then nothing more?” he asked him again, making Baekhyun huff.  
“Neither my mother asked me if I ate so many times in a day” he replied annoyed and Chanyeol pressed his lips in a thin line.  
“Sure, sorry for bothering about your health” he declared, shaking his head.  
And Baekhyun was about to comment but Sehun stated something before them.  
“Loey, I also have something to tell you about Mary’s body” he started and Chanyeol sat on the table of his desk, gesturing toward him to start speaking.  
“Autopsy stated that her death was around two months and half ago, so why we find her so… intact?” he started and Chanyeol hummed in thought.  
“Was she drugged?” he asked and Sehun nodded softly.  
“Yeah, I don’t know exactly what because they are still looking for it but asking to some of her guests in the last days she saw them before Mr. Byun took her place, they all stated that she were more silent and quieter” he stated and Chanyeol pushed his fingers through his hair before lightening up another cigarette.  
“So, she knew that something was happening” Chanyeol whispered and Sehun nodded too.  
“And I’m sure she left something written about this thing” he added and Chanyeol hummed, puffing out some smoke.  
“May I have one?” Baekhyun asked him and Chanyeol offered him a cigarette.  
He also lighted it up with a match.  
For a second their stare met and Chanyeol sighed deeply.  
“I have to think about all of this. We still miss too many pieces of this puzzle. Need a ride?” he asked Baekhyun and he nodded shortly.  
“Do, thank you for passing by. If we have some news, I’ll let you know too” Chanyeol stated and Kyungsoo smiled briefly at him.  
“Whenever you want, Park” he concluded going away too.  
Chanyeol neared the car in silence followed by Baekhyun.  
They stayed silent until both of them were sitting in the car.  
“I need to know what she wrote in those letters and in her diary” he stated watching toward Baekhyun.  
Baekhyun stayed silent near him and Chanyeol wanted to repeat himself but Baekhyun sighed.  
“Drive me home? I will show you something” he replied and when Chanyeol started to drive toward Black Pearl, Baekhyun stopped him.  
“Home. Not to the Black Pearl” he whispered and started giving him indications for reaching the place where Baekhyun lived.  
It was a small apartment in the new area of Los Angeles.  
“It’s nice here” Chanyeol stated and he nodded briefly, exiting the car and heading toward the entrance of a cream-colored building.  
Chanyeol followed him and Baekhyun entered a small apartment not larger than four rooms: kitchen, small living room, bedroom and a bathroom.  
“Welcome” Baekhyun whispered, turning on the lights and going toward the living room, followed by Chanyeol.  
“There are… reasons why I took Mari’s place at Black Pearl and it’s not because I was tired of my work or approved hers” he started taking a small pink envelope from the small table and turning it between his fingers, a small vial exiting it and landing on the palm of his hand.  
“Mari sent me a letter two months ago. She said that she didn’t feel safe anymore and that she needed a place to stay for a while, leaving Black Pearl and her life behind” he started giving the small vial to Chanyeol who sniffed it and, even without opening it, knew exactly what it was.  
“Whiskey” he whispered and Baekhyun nodded.  
“She discovered something about Lee’s traffics, Chanyeol. And he killed her for this reason, not because she was pregnant” he stated and Chanyeol nodded shortly giving back the vial.  
“Were there any… hint in her letters or diary?” he asked Baekhyun who nodded softly.  
“I think it’s a… code? Or something like that? Because some of them don’t make sense at all but I found out that in one, if you read all the first character of each sentence, it comes out Harbor E-6104 which is a shipping code or in another human traffic. And they are not coincidences” he stated putting down the letter and opening a drawer, pulling out the whole pack of letters they found both in her room and at the tennis club.  
“Want to read them together? Maybe in two we can…” Chanyeol started but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“Why you covered me up earlier with that police officer?” he asked him looking directly at Chanyeol’s face, serious, and Chanyeol frowned.  
“Did I mistake?” he retorted, worried, making Baekhyun shook his head.  
“Then where…” he started asking but Baekhyun stopped him immediately.  
“I want to be crystal clear with you, Chanyeol, because somehow we are in this together but you don’t have to stuck with me until the end if you are not up to it” he stated and even before Chanyeol could comment, Baekhyun took a step in, entering Chanyeol’s personal space.  
“I loved my sister more than my own life. I will do everything to kill Lee with my own hands” he stated staring at him and Chanyeol nodded.  
“I know, and I will be there to help you” he added decidedly making Baekhyun frown.  
“I can’t understand why, though. And it’s not because you particularly care about me. Did you love my sister this much?” he interjected and Chanyeol shook his head briefly.  
He didn’t want to share whatever he was feeling for Baekhyun with him, not in that moment nor never.  
Chanyeol didn’t want Baekhyun to ever know about him not being in love with Mary but with Baekhyun himself.  
“Is it this important to know?” he asked him back and Baekhyun nodded.  
“I have to know if I can trust you or not” he replied, stare inquiring and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“I don’t think it’s a trust issue. I proved you my loyalty even before” he retorted, shrugging his shoulder but Baekhyun frowned again.  
They studied each other in silence for a brief moment and then Baekhyun sighed.  
“One day you will tell me?” he asked Chanyeol who hummed in thought.  
“Maybe, when all of this will be over” he replied softly, even if he knew he was lying, and Baekhyun shook his head, sighing even deeper.  
Chanyeol couldn’t tell him anything about those feelings he thought he had for him.  
Because it wasn’t right.  
It wasn’t how it was supposed to be.  
Because it was illegal.  
And Chanyeol didn’t need any more problems in his life.  
And neither did Baekhyun seeing what was happening to his life.  
So, he simply continued to help Baekhyun in finding who could have killed his sister.  
Baekhyun didn’t need to know why Chanyeol was helping him.  
Baekhyun’s stare stayed longer on Chanyeol’s face and then he shook his head softly.  
“There’s a lot of things you are not telling me, Mr. private detective. Your past, your relationship with Mary, why you are so keen on helping me…” he started saying and his tone was wary, cautious almost worried.  
Chanyeol hummed in thought briefly.  
“You need my help, Baekhyun, because it’s clear that you didn’t come to nothing with those letters and I proved my loyalty to you in several times now. It’s fine if I continue keeping my secrets for a while more” he objected, and this time his word was definitive.  
Baekhyun sat on the couch, starting to spread Mary’s letters on the small table.  
“She wrote me every week for the last two years. Usually her letters were about small nothings but three months ago she started writing about things that worried her. She never explained what, though” he started, gesturing a small pile of letters in the corner of the table.  
Chanyeol sat near him, hands moving toward a letter that seemed to be more ruined.  
“Those are the one that were in the drawer in her room. While those over there are the one that were in her locker at the tennis club” Baekhyun added briefly and Chanyeol nodded, looking interested to the letter he picked up.  
It seemed stained with oil or maybe wax?  
And smelled differently from the others.  
Chanyeol opened it and extracted the paper inside the envelope.

Dear James,  
I know that something was off in the last period.  
Everything you told me was only lies.  
All I gave you in these last months didn’t mean anything to you.  
Lies, only lies that you told me while promising me that you loved me.  
Remember when I accepted your proposal?  
Everything now is burning into ashes.  
And it’s only your fault.  
Do you know that I’ve already sent all I know to the Police?  
You played with the wrong girl.

Mary

  
Chanyeol whistled in appreciation, folding the letter.  
“She definitely knew a lot more than you thought” he stated admiring Mary’s resolution in writing those words to a man that claimed to love her, and Baekhyun nodded shortly.  
“I’m worried because she wrote that she sent already everything to the Police, but they didn’t receive anything or at least that police officer would have told you, right?” Baekhyun commented making Chanyeol frown.  
It couldn’t be that Kyungsoo didn’t tell him anything something that important.  
He didn’t have any reason not to.  
Maybe they should expect a letter incoming to the Police in those days.  
Or maybe they received it and there was a spy in the Police department?  
Or maybe she didn’t manage to send it because Lee or someone of his men killed her before?  
And then Chanyeol remembered what Baekhyun told him before about the messages and read the first character of each sentence.  
“Die already?” he whispered and Baekhyun frowned softy but Chanyeol showed him the letter and he noticed it too.  
“She used the same code each time?” Baekhyun asked him and Chanyeol started to open every other letter on the table, even the one that she sent to Baekhyun.  
And even in the stupid ones, in which she wrote about nothings, there was a hidden sentence.  
James Lee has the worst traffic of women in Los Angeles.  
In the harbor there is a place where he met with his associates.  
He sells women around the whole city and maybe also in others.  
James import illegal English whiskey and cigars from Cuba.  
B central station CB6104.  
Chanyeol started to write every sentence down and he in few minutes he realized that Mary knew everything about Lee’s traffics, not only part of them.  
“This last one… Doesn’t it seem a code to you?” Baekhyun asked him and Chanyeol sighed.  
He knew that numeration.  
It was of a deposit box, usually the ones that there were in train station.  
And she wrote Central station, so maybe Chanyeol knew where to look.  
“Yeah, probably” he replied vaguely and he didn’t know why but he didn’t want to share it Baekhyun.  
It had a weird sensation about it, as if it was becoming more dangerous than expected.  
He needed more data about Lee and what he was suspected to do.  
Mary surely had proofs of this and hopefully Chanyeol would have found them in that security box.  
“Maybe it’s better if we declare it close for tonight and we rest a bit?” Chanyeol proposed him and Baekhyun inhaled deeply, nodding.  
“Maybe, yes. Thank you for coming here and…” he started but Chanyeol shook his head immediately.  
“No need to thank me, Baekhyun. We want the same thing” he interrupted him and Baekhyun frowned.  
“Even if I still don’t know why” he observed returning on the previous subject and Chanyeol huffed, shaking his head again.  
“Why do you want to know so bad?” he asked him and Baekhyun hummed in thought.  
“Nothing is for nothing, Chanyeol” he replied briefly and Chanyeol chuckled.  
“Maybe it’s just a charity action?” he suggested, shrugging his shoulders, but Baekhyun frowned again, showing all his incredulity.  
“Charity action?” he echoed and Chanyeol chuckled again, sitting up.  
“Rest properly and eat something, Baekhyun. See you tomorrow” he concluded and Baekhyun huffed, nodding shortly.  
“Yes, yes. Night” he replied, escorting him to the door and waiving briefly before closing the door again.  
Chanyeol went to his car again and instead of driving home, he went to the central station.  
He wasn’t as proficient as Baekhyun was in lock picking, but he knew pretty well how to open a lock too.  
It wasn’t difficult to find the deposit box and at that hour in the evening there wasn’t almost anybody, so he had all his time to force it open and retrieve its content, mainly photos and paper sheets.  
Chanyeol took everything, checking thrice that inside nothing was left, and then it closed it back again.  
He brought the contents back to home and he spent the night, chain-smoking, reading it and realizing how deep inside that case Mary was to know all those things.  
There weren’t only names but also dates, numbers, money and some many other data that Chanyeol finally had the clear vision of what was happening in Los Angeles harbor those days.  
And eventually he got to a weird conclusion too.  
Maybe they were considering things from the wrong point of view and behind all those traffics there wasn’t only Lee.  
Maybe he had an accomplice.  
That got too greedy and tried to blackmail him and he ended up being killed.  
Or maybe he was only going crazy and those were only stupid theories due to his lack of sleep.

  
It was a little bit after nine when Sehun entered his studio making more noise than a small tornado.  
“Loey! There’s a problem!” he exclaimed and Chanyeol frowned waiting for him to tell him what was happening.  
“Someone shot Mr. Byun!” Sehun added and Chanyeol sat up immediately, worried.  
“How is he? What happened?” he asked back and Sehun shook his head briefly.  
“He’s at the police station right now! And I think it’s nothing serious…?” he replied but Chanyeol was already exiting in the street going to his car.  
Sehun followed him and Chanyeol drove them until the police station.  
His bad sensations were starting to take a shape also in the reality they were living in.  
Lee was moving.  
He understood that the one investigating in Mary’s death was anyone but Mary’s brother, Baekhyun.  
And when he entered in the police station, Baekhyun’s stare was immediately on his, scared and worried, sitting up even if not moving from where he was standing.  
Chanyeol went toward him immediately, stare inspecting his face and whole being trying to find any injuries.  
They stared back at each other for a whole minute before Chanyeol could speak up.  
“What happened?” Chanyeol asked him even if he wanted to take his hand or hug him tighter.  
He was so worried for Baekhyun’s health that he felt all his agitation in his stomach.  
“I… was exiting my apartment and there was a loud noise from a car, so I kneeled down but they hit me?” he replied, slightly touching his arm where a white bandage was tied.  
Chanyeol’s fingers brushed it shortly too, shaking his head.  
“You can’t remain alone. They think you know something too” Chanyeol whispered but Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders.  
“Where should I go?” he asked him and Chanyeol sighed deeply.  
“Black Pearl? I’m sure Johnny will take you in for a while” he replied immediately and Baekhyun hummed, stare avoiding Chanyeol’s stare.  
“Hey, there’s something wrong?” Chanyeol asked him but Baekhyun shook his head, forcing a brief smile.  
“No, everything is fine. May I ask you to drive me to Black Pearl?” he asked him and Chanyeol wanted to inquire any further but Kyungsoo intervened.  
“It’s better if he rests a bit, here we are done” he stated and Chanyeol nodded too.  
“Sehun, I need you to discover the most you can about our friend James Lee. And I mean everything also how many time he go to the bathroom per day” he ordered Sehun, who nodded shortly in consent, before hinting Baekhyun the door.  
“Let’s go. I’ll drive you there” he concluded exiting the building followed by Baekhyun.  
He gave that order to Sehun because he had the worst of all the possible feelings in that story and he didn’t want to tell it to Baekhyun because it was too risky, and he didn’t want to alarm Baekhyun for nothing.  
Maybe it was only his thoughts and Mary was indeed the poor girl killed by the fiancé because she knew too much.  
But Chanyeol couldn’t overlook that small thing that continued to pester his mind.  
The drive there was silent, even too much, and Chanyeol didn’t know how to fill that silence in, so he simply stayed silent too.  
But when he parked near Black Pearl and they exited the car, Chanyeol noted the sparkling shine before he could even hear the shot.  
He pulled Baekhyun’s arm, hiding both of them behind his car, and hearing some shots.  
“Down. Stay down” he ordered to Baekhyun who nodded shortly, while Chanyeol extracted a gun from under his jacket, cocking it, ready to fire.  
But the shots ceased and they heard a car driving away.  
Chanyeol sighed, putting his gun away and staring toward Baekhyun.  
He was worried and shook his head, once he met Chanyeol’s stare.  
“Twice in a day it’s a bit too much to be a coincidence” he whispered and Chanyeol nodded briefly.  
“You are not safe neither here. And worse, you would endanger also the other living here” Chanyeol noted and Baekhyun frowned deeply.  
“I don’t have anywhere…” he started but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Let’s go take what you may need. You will stay in my apartment for a while. It will be safer than here” he declared, firmly but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“Chanyeol, I…” he started but Chanyeol shook his head too.  
“I think you don’t understand. I wasn’t asking you. It’s an order and there’s no safer place in town” he concluded and Baekhyun sighed deeply before slightly standing up, and walking until the entrance of Black Pearl.  
Jondae let them in worried by the shots, and when Chanyeol explained him the situation, even Jondae agreed about the importance to bring Baekhyun in a safe place, like Chanyeol’s home.  
So he sent Baekhyun upstairs taking whatever he may possibly need, remaining alone with Chanyeol.  
There was a small silence and then Jondae sighed deeply.  
“Why?” he asked Chanyeol who frowned briefly.  
“Don’t play dumb. Maybe Baek doesn’t know but I do. You never met Mary before. The Mary you met was already Baek and you know it too” he stated and Chanyeol sighed softly, shaking his head.  
“And?” he added and Jondae huffed briefly.  
“Why are you helping Baek, Loey? He shouldn’t matter this much to you” he whispered, frowning trying to understand Chanyeol’s point, and Chanyeol clicked his tongue, annoyed.  
“Why should I tell you? I’m not…” he started but Jondae stopped him immediately, putting an hand in front of him, between them.  
“In love with him? Because to me, you are. You care about him so much and you want nothing in return, and sorry but it’s not charity. It’s love” Jondae stated making Chanyeol frown.  
He wanted to retort something but then he simply sighed again.  
“What if I am? As you say, I’m not asking anything in return and when all this story will be over, I’ll let him go back to his normal life” he replied and Jondae’s eyes went wider in perplexity.  
“You are…” he started but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“I love people, not women or men. And Baekhyun is precious to me, right now. And not because he’s Mary’s brother or because I knew him as her” he concluded, hearing some footsteps on the stairs and promptly changing his discourse.  
“You know my number. If you need to speak with Baekhyun or if something happens, please call me at whichever hour” he added and in that moment Baekhyun appeared with an old leathered suitcase.  
“Ready?” Chanyeol asked him, who nodded softly.  
“Ready” he replied briefly and, after greeting Jondae, they went away toward Chanyeol’s studio.  
Chanyeol showed him around, explaining how the studio was connected to his apartment on the upper floor and showing him the room where he would sleep, while Chanyeol would take the couch.  
“Chanyeol, no, really I can’t take your bed…” Baekhyun started but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“The times I sleep there are fewer than I care to admit. You don’t have to worry, I barely use it” he concluded, showing him the small bedroom where he could also put his clothes.  
“Chanyeol, I really owe you a lot. I’m sorry to barge in your house like that and…” Baekhyun started but Chanyeol chuckled.  
“I don’t mind, really. Take your spaces and try to rest while you are here. We will solve it, as soon as possible” he stated and Baekhyun smiled at him softly, making Chanyeol’s heart weirdly squeeze in his chest.  
Baekhyun looked so soft in that moment that he wanted to hug him out of nowhere.  
But he forced a smile too, repeating him that everything would have been fine.

  
It started like that the forced cohabitation of Chanyeol and Baekhyun.  
Baekhyun had a sleep schedule even messier than Chanyeol and they both find themselves awake at five in the morning or sleeping at twelve in the morning.  
Chanyeol slowly discovered that Baekhyun liked to eat more than it could seem, and if he found food ready on the table, he ate more than three people himself, remaining always that thin.  
It was soft and fluff in the morning before his coffee, and especially talkative late at night.  
Chanyeol knew it a night when, after finishing his work, he went upstairs at almost two in the morning, finding Baekhyun still awake.  
“Are you up to a glass?” Chanyeol proposed him and Baekhyun nodded, sitting at the table with him and taking the glass of wine that Chanyeol was offering him.  
“Why a private detective has his own gun?” Baekhyun asked him out of the blue and Chanyeol chuckled.  
“We are in America, Baekhyun. Everyone with a regular…” he started but Baekhyun shook his head, stopping him immediately.  
“I don’t think it’s just because American laws permit you so” he objected and Chanyeol snorted, shaking his head too.  
“I told you already, I had another work before this” he whispered and Baekhyun hummed, hinting him to continue and Chanyeol sighed deeply.  
“I was a police officer. My partner was killed during a mission and… I used some illegal methods to find who killed him. And killed him with my own hands too” he started explaining and Baekhyun frowned softly.  
“So you avenged him, finding who killed him and killed him too?” he asked briefly and Chanyeol nodded.  
“They flagged it as self defense and they simply withdrew my police badge and fired me, but I know that it wasn’t self-defense. I went there with the intent to kill him, because I knew I would find him there” Chanyeol replied briefly, feeling again the same anger he felt in those moments creeping up to his very core and veins.  
“And even after this, I’m still sure that I simply got the small fish. Because the one that orchestrated everything is still outside there paving his street with more deaths. Or maybe more than one” Chanyeol concluded shortly, shaking his head and trying to push his feeling as far as possible from that discourse.  
He was sure that Lee was involved also in that case, but at that time he couldn’t prove it and every time he got closer to him, everything seemed to end up in nothing.  
“I’m sorry to hear that…” Baekhyun whispered but Chanyeol forced a small smile.  
He wasn’t sorry at all.  
He would have done it every single day of his life.  
Killing that bastard was the only thing that finally settled part of his pain even when it meant him being fired and not being part of police anymore.  
And not being able to investigate on Lee and his accomplice as he would have liked.  
And his mother and his sister almost ignoring him except during festivities.  
Thinking of festivities, kind of remembered him of Chuseok approaching.  
“Do you… celebrate Korean festivities?” Chanyeol asked Baekhyun who hummed briefly.  
“We never were particularly into them, but Mari always insisted on going. She was so beautiful dancing in those colorful hanbok” he whispered softly, almost a breath, shaking his head and Chanyeol frowned shortly.  
“Chuseok is almost here. Want to… come visit a bit?” he proposed him and Baekhyun’s eyes went wider in perplexity before opening in a sincere smile.  
“You are always so full of surprises, Mr. Private detective” he added chuckling and the sound was so pleasant that Chanyeol smiled softly too.  
“It will be fine going away for a while? And it will give us more time to think about what it’s best to do with the information we have” Chanyeol stated and Baekhyun nodded briefly.  
“Yeah, why not” he concluded and Chanyeol was almost glad that such a sad discourse as why he had a gun, brought them to talk about Chuseok and celebrate it together.  
Maybe, and only maybe, for that year it wouldn’t be his usual sad celebration.

  
He called his mother few days later asking her if he could go visit for Chuseok.  
She was perplexed but told him that there weren’t any problems and he could go visit whenever he wanted to.  
So, on a Saturday, he woke Baekhyun super early and, after loading the car of gifts for his family and neighbors, Chanyeol drove back home.  
It took almost three hours but when they arrived, Chanyeol’s mother was already on the door waiting for them.  
Chanyeol mentioned bringing a friend and she was even more surprised but welcomed them nevertheless.  
“It has been four years already” his mother whispered him when he leant in, hugging her and he nodded shortly.  
“I’m sorry for making you wait and refusing all your invitations” he muttered back before introducing Baekhyun to her.  
“This is Byun Baekhyun. We are… working together for a while” he explained briefly and his mother smiled toward Baekhyun.  
“Such a beautiful being. A blessing on Chuseok” she whispered and Baekhyun blushed softly.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Park” Baekhyun thanked her, bowing deeply and she shook her head.  
“Here everyone calls me mama Park, feel free to do the same, boy” she added and Baekhyun nodded shortly.  
“Mom, who’s arrived?” a voice called from the stairs, reaching the hall.  
Yoora, Chanyeol’s sister, was already wearing a red and gold hanbok that suited her pretty much.  
“Oh. It’s just Yeol” she whispered, shifting her stare away and Chanyeol forced a smile.  
“Noona, it’s been a while” he greeted softly, trying to be polite and surprised at how beautiful his sister has become, and she nodded shortly before shifting her stare toward Baekhyun.  
“A friend?” she asked him and Chanyeol hummed.  
“Sort of, yeah. A colleague, mostly. First Chuseok in a while” he replied and she beamed at Baekhyun.  
“You won’t regret it” she assured him and Baekhyun smiled softly at her.  
“Yoora, I have a favor to ask. Can you show Baekhyun the way to the rooms?” Chanyeol asked Yoora who frowned shortly before nodding and inviting Baekhyun to follow her.  
They lived on the first floor of a building that was a small inn and was managed by mama and papa Park.  
“Mom, I know that I didn’t show up for a while and now I come here with only apologise and Chuseok gifts, but Baekhyun needs this. He lost his sister in a tragic way few weeks ago and she loved Chuseok” he whispered toward his mother that was already frowning.  
“He’s a stone too precious for you, Yeollie. Don’t forget it” she simply whispered and Chanyeol nodded shortly.  
“I know” he replied, and those words weighted on his stomach more than he could care to admit.  
It was like his mother was able to read him and his feelings in a single instant, making Chanyeol feeling naked to her judgement.  
Preparations were steady and both Chanyeol and Baekhyun helped out preparing what would be a community festival, shared with neighbors and along the streets.  
And at night, when it was the moment of celebrate, Baekhyun disappeared for a while, returning only later, with Yoora, and dressed in that silver and emerald green hanbok Chanyeol firstly saw him with.  
He was stunningly beautiful as he remembered.  
Dancing gently, surprising people with that same grace that enchanted Chanyeol since the very first time.  
And Chanyeol knew it once and forever that he was so screwed for Baekhyun and for Baekhyun only, not Mary’s shadow in him.  
Chanyeol couldn’t tear his eyes apart of him neither when Baekhyun’s stare met his, emeralds shining brightly under the lights and making him even more gorgeous.  
Chanyeol had eyes only for him and him only.  
After the dances, Baekhyun went to sit near Chanyeol, smiling brightly a bit sweaty.  
“Surprised?” he asked Chanyeol who nodded shortly.  
“Mari would have liked it here. She loved to dance and this hanbok is one of the few things we manage to inherit from our family” Baekhyun explained gently caressing the fabric of the clothes and Chanyeol had to shift his stare away, too focused on Baekhyun’s fingers so slender and beautiful in contrast with the pearly colors on the hanbok.  
“I hope you are liking it too?” Chanyeol whispered and Baekhyun smiled sadly.  
“Everything reminds me of her, Chanyeol. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea taking her place and pretending to be her for a while” he replied honestly and Chanyeol hummed briefly in thought.  
“I think you did well and you were really brave” Chanyeol stated and Baekhyun’s stare was immediately on him.  
Even before Baekhyun could ask him what he meant, Chanyeol explained himself.  
“You wanted to know what happened to her and Black Pearl was her home. In no other place you would have been able to know the same things you came to know there” he made him notice and Baekhyun hummed too before opening in another small smile.  
“And I wouldn’t have met a valiant ally as you are” Baekhyun added but Chanyeol shook his head softly.  
“Don’t. I’m just doing my best too…” he replied and Baekhyun huffed, shaking his head and interrupting him immediately.  
“Sure, sure, since you were in love with my sister. I know, no worries” he whispered and Chanyeol wanted to tell him that no, he didn’t even know his sister.  
He didn’t know who Mari Byun was.  
The only person he fell in love with was exactly him, Baekhyun and no other people.  
He wanted to lean in and kiss him because he was so beautiful and Chanyeol started to care about him so much.  
Chanyeol wanted to protect him from everything, wanted to give him a normal life, wanted to erase the pain that was plaguing his soul.  
But he simply hummed briefly, shifting his stare away and simply enjoy his presence there.  
And even if the atmosphere was festive and Baekhyun laughed near him, he felt kind of sad.  
Eventually all of that would have come to an end.  
Baekhyun would have gone away, forgetting all that story about his sister and how Chanyeol was vaguely involved in all of it.  
Even if Chanyeol had so many feelings.  
And even if he was accustomed to have him around his apartment, laughter filling the air and his scent stuck on his blankets.  
Or to all those small moments in their routine were Chanyeol was oh so tempted to touch, kiss, hug him because was indeed a gift too precious to Chanyeol.  
As Chuseok celebrated harvest and the end of a prolific summer followed by the arrival of autumn, also light in his days would have gone away as soon as they solved it, Baekhyun going away and returning to his own life.  
Maybe going back home to celebrate Chuseok wasn’t the best idea.  
While his mind was filled with those thoughts, he didn’t notice that Baekhyun was already at his fifth or maybe sixth bottle of soju.  
“Chanyeollie” he chanted sitting again near him and Chanyeol snorted, shaking his head.  
“How much did you drink?” he asked him and Baekhyun shook his head too.  
“Two? Maybe three?” he replied but signed five with his fingers and Chanyeol sighed briefly.  
But he wasn’t annoyed.  
It wasn’t that bad that Baekhyun let himself go a bit.  
He needed it too, also to alleviate the pain he always hid behind his cold stance.  
Baekhyun loved his sister Mary more than anyone else in the world.  
And knowing that she was dead, killed by a man that used her and then thrashed her, was the worst he could happen.  
Chanyeol knew it because he had a sister too and only imagining the same things happened to Mary happening also to Yoora, he felt the blood rushing to his ears.  
“Come on, let’s go home” Chanyeol whispered him, taking his arm and helping him sitting up, but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“Dance with me” he muttered and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“You are barely able to walk” he retorted but Baekhyun took his hands and pulled him in the circle that other couples, including mama and papa Park, made dancing around to typical Korean music.  
Chanyeol sighed and gripped harder on Baekhyun’s hands, supporting him and following the music too.  
Baekhyun cheered, getting closer to Chanyeol who smiled at him softly, trying not to think at how much he loved him.  
They danced, cheered also by other people around, for a while and then Baekhyun smiled widely at him.  
“Thanks for inviting me, Chanyeol” he told him and Chanyeol smiled softly too.  
“Aren’t you tired of turning around? How’s your head?” he asked him and Baekhyun hummed.  
“A bit, yes. Maybe it’s better if we stop?” he replied honestly and Chanyeol slowed down until the world turned at its own being.  
“Want to go back?” Chanyeol asked him and Baekhyun nodded shortly, slightly leaning on him.  
Chanyeol made a small gesture toward his mother that acknowledge him and then he walked home Baekhyun.  
The walk was silent even if Chanyeol took off his jacket to give it to Baekhyun who was shivering.  
“You didn’t need…” Baekhyun started but Chanyeol shook his head insisting.  
When they arrived home, Chanyeol escorted Baekhyun to his room helping him freeing his shoes.  
“I don’t know why you are so kind to me…” Baekhyun whispered starting to take off his hanbok while Chanyeol searched for something to give him suitable to sleep comfortable in.  
“You know already” Chanyeol replied him but Baekhyun surprised him leaning his head on Chanyeol’s back.  
“You are such a liar…” he muttered, voice low and soft, and Chanyeol frowned briefly.  
“What do you…?” Chanyeol started inquiring, but he felt Baekhyun shook his head before walking to the bed and finally taking off his clothes, taking the one Chanyeol finally found.  
Baekhyun was gorgeous and perfect under every possible aspect.  
Once again Chanyeol couldn’t shift his stare away from Baekhyun’s profile while he was dressing.  
“Will you stay until I fall asleep?” Baekhyun asked him, sitting on the bed, stare meeting his and Chanyeol nodded even before he could properly process the request.  
Baekhyun nodded softly, laying down and pulling the duvet with him.  
Chanyeol sat on the side of the bed and Baekhyun immediately neared him, leaning his head to Chanyeol’s side.  
“Thank you” he whispered and Chanyeol smiled softly.  
“Rest tight, Baekhyun” he concluded and Baekhyun nodded shortly, closing his eyes, and in no more than two minutes was already fast asleep.  
Chanyeol gently stroke his hair briefly and it felt like silk between his fingers.  
He inhaled deeply before leaning in a delicately kiss the top of Baekhyun’s head.  
Whatever he was feeling for Baekhyun wasn’t right.  
And he had to hide it at his best.  
Because Baekhyun simply considered him as a partner in crime and maybe his friend.  
A friend that was helping him finding out what happened to his sister.  
Nothing more.  
Even when the impulse of caressing him, kissing him and hugging him was so strong.  
They were only friends.

  
The day after, Chanyeol was waken up by ice cold hands on his neck.  
He jumped sit immediately, frowning, ready to hit whoever’s fault it was.  
However, when he realized that it was Baekhyun’s fault he simply frowned even deeper.  
“What in the world…?” he asked and Baekhyun smiled softly.  
“Your sister said it was the fastest way to wake you up” he replied and Chanyeol shook his head, taking Baekhyun’s hands in his.  
“Why are you so cold? Do you want…?” he started but Baekhyun shook his head, sitting at the side of Chanyeol’s bed.  
Baekhyun was already dressed and the signs of the previous night’s hangover were totally gone.  
“Tonight I realized something” Baekhyun stated and Chanyeol nodded briefly, knowing that he was talking about his sister.  
“That code. It’s for a deposit box” he whispered and Chanyeol hummed shortly.  
He could play dumb and lead Baekhyun to the central station and find the empty box.  
Or he could tell him part of what it actually was.  
“I know” he replied, shifting his stare away but Baekhyun’s hands were immediately on his cheeks, forcing him to stare toward Baekhyun.  
“Come again?” he whispered and Chanyeol sighed.  
“I went to retrieve the content the same day you showed me those letters” he explained and Baekhyun frowned again.  
“Why you didn’t tell me?” he asked him, worried more than angry, and he seemed to be hurt by Chanyeol’s behavior.  
Chanyeol took Baekhyun’s hand in his, shaking his head.  
“Because I needed some confirmation before showing you everything” he stated and Baekhyun shook his head.  
“I’m not following…” he whispered and Chanyeol sighed shortly.  
“I asked Sehun to make some research for me. Depending on what he will tell me, the things I found in that box may have a meaning or another. And it could change what you think about your sister, that’s why I wanted to wait before showing those to you” he explained and Baekhyun frowned again.  
“You are… not telling me the truth again” he whispered and Chanyeol nodded.  
“I’m sorry” he replied and Baekhyun hummed briefly sitting up and he made gesture to go away but then he stopped in the middle of the room.  
“I thought you wanted to help me” he muttered and Chanyeol sat up from his bed, nodding briefly.  
“And I want to, Baekhyun, just…” he started explaining but Baekhyun shook his head, hurt.  
“Just you continue to hide things from me. About my sister and you. About why you are helping me, about realizing things about all this story. Why should I trust you?” he asked him, stare moving to meet with Chanyeol’s.  
It was so sad and tired and Chanyeol simply wanted to hug him tight.  
“Because the only thing I want is your well-being” he replied honestly but Baekhyun huffed shaking his head.  
“Sure” he replied before walking away and not giving Chanyeol the time to stop him or explain his reasons.  
He sighed deeply, fingers carding through his hair.  
Chanyeol dressed up, quickly and going downstairs to meet the perplexed stare of his mother.  
“Baekhyunnie is already outside if you are looking for him” she whispered and Chanyeol sighed again, exiting in the street and literally running after him.  
He took his arm, forcing him to face Chanyeol, but Baekhyun had tears in his eyes.  
“Leave me alone. I don’t care about what happen to me or neither to whatever my sister may have discovered. I will just go and kill that man. I know it was him…” he whispered but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Please, let me bring you home and let’s listen to what Sehun discovered and later I will reply to all your questions even about me and your sister or whatever else you want. You can ask everything and I will reply this time, sincerely. No more lies” he stopped him and Baekhyun’s stare was in his immediately, looking, searching for something.  
They stared at each other for a minute or more and then Baekhyun nodded.  
Chanyeol brought him again inside where they had a short breakfast with Chanyeol’s mother and then Chanyeol drove them back to home.  
The trip was silent again, Baekhyun completely ignoring him and simply staring outside the window.  
When they arrived, Chanyeol had to call Sehun home because he wasn’t there yet, telling him to arrive as soon as possible.  
They sat there, Chanyeol simply smoking and Baekhyun in religious silence, until Sehun arrived, making the door tingling.  
“Loey, bad news” he stated and Chanyeol inhaled deeply, puffing out smoke and making Sehun gesture to sit too.  
“How bad?” he asked him and Sehun pressed his fingers on the bridge of his nose.  
“Like bad bad?” he replied and Chanyeol sighed again, pressing the butt of the cigarette in his ashtray.  
“Please then” he concluded and Sehun nodded, starting to tell what he discovered about James Lee.  
Born in America from Korean grand-fathers, more than actual parents.  
He was from a poor family but somehow, when he was fifteen, he started to become richer and his name became known in the mafia world of Los Angeles.  
He was suspected to have a flourishing traffic of whiskey and, recently, of prostitutes too, especially incoming from Asian countries.  
Up to one year ago, Lee was always seen alone in his traffics and his partnership but, always recently, people started to speak about a collaborator who helped him managing the activity and keep records for him.  
As if this wasn’t enough, Sehun added that there were some legit suspects of him having corrupted some police agents.  
Chanyeol sighed shaking his head.  
“This is not bad, bad, Sehun. It’s fucking awfully bad” he whispered and the idea that he had about how Mary could be Lee’s collaborator became more vivid and defined in his mind.  
That would explain the extra money and the fact that she could choose if she wanted to have sex with her guests or not.  
Johnny would have forced her to make more money, going with more customers if he wouldn’t have known better and if she hadn’t told him that she didn’t need him anymore because she was becoming richer than expected thanks to Lee’s traffics.  
However, Johnny needed Mary at Black Pearl because she was a small star in that place, so he let her be.  
“Mind explaining?” Baekhyun started, voice low and tone icily, and Chanyeol sighed deeply, opening the last drawer of his desk and pulling out what he found in Mary’s deposit box.  
“This is what I found in your sister’s deposit, Baekhyun. There are photos, number list, names and so much more. You sister was really clever, I wouldn’t dare to say anything different, but not this clever to manage to fool someone as expert as Lee” he stated pushing all those papers toward Baekhyun that started browsing through them, realizing too that they were too detailed and too complete.  
“Loey, what are you…?” Sehun started but Chanyeol continued to speak, stare fixed on Baekhyun.  
“She didn’t simply have a relationship with Lee. She was his partner in affair too” he stated and Baekhyun raised his stare on Chanyeol, worried and incredulous.  
“No… she wouldn’t” he whispered, unbelieving and shaking his head but Chanyeol pulled out two letters and gave them to Baekhyun.  
“I’m sorry” he muttered and Baekhyun took them, finding details that couldn’t simply be learnt through some amatorial spying.  
Baekhyun was speechless, eyes reading over and over the same sentences, trying to process what Chanyeol said him.  
“You knew her too, do you think that…?” Baekhyun started and Chanyeol inhaled deeply.  
“I’m sorry about this too…” Chanyeol whispered and Baekhyun frowned again.  
Chanyeol sighed briefly.  
“I’ve never met your sister. The only Mary I knew, it was you” he added and Baekhyun frowned, perplexed but not as perplexed as Chanyeol would have expected.  
Sehun sighed briefly too.  
“I’ll be downstairs if you need me” he whispered sitting up and going away.  
There was a small silence and then Baekhyun shook his head, putting all the papers again on Chanyeol’s desk.  
“I’m sorry, Baekhyun” Chanyeol added again but Baekhyun shook his head softly.  
“I kind of suspected it too, but I didn’t want to consider it true?” he started softly, asking Chanyeol for a cigarette and Chanyeol gave it to him, lightening it up with a match.  
Baekhyun puffed out some smoke, shaking again his head.  
“She was strange, paranoid, the last times we managed to see. And I was sure she was avoiding me. However, I thought that she simply chose the wrong friends again and took her help letter like something of this type, more than an admission of guilt” he explained and Chanyeol nodded shortly.  
“Who wouldn’t? You were worried about your sister…” he whispered back but Baekhyun snorted, fingers carding through his hair.  
“She was such a faker and damn good at lying when she wanted to” he noted and Chanyeol hummed briefly.  
He wanted to say that he was sorry again and that he hoped with all his strengths that he was mistaking and that Mary simply was too curious and too clever for her own good.  
But Baekhyun walked until the windows, staring outside before speaking again.  
“And I knew it about you not knowing Mari. I’ve overheard a conversation between you and Jondae. You never met her, right?” he whispered softly, almost imperceptibly and Chanyeol sighed shortly.  
“No, never. You are still the only Mary I knew” he replied and Baekhyun chuckled, shaking his head.  
“Maybe you would have been one of the few to notice how different I was from her, even when I tried my best to pretend to be her” he added and Chanyeol shook his head too, nearing him toward the windows.  
“You give me too much credit, Baekhyun. I’m just a mere private detective…” he started but Baekhyun shook his head, pushing the remaining of the cigarette in the ashtray.  
“You still haven’t replied to my most important question since forever” he noted, stare shifting to meet with Chanyeol’s, and Chanyeol frowned briefly, wondering what was it about.  
“Why? Why are you helping me out in this? We never met before, right? You didn’t know my sister and all of this shitty story is starting to get super dangerous. Why not abandoning everything?” he asked him and Chanyeol smiled softly.  
“I’ve already replied. Charity” he stated but Baekhyun huffed shaking his head, stare moving toward Chanyeol’s face.  
“You said you would have replied sincerely” Baekhyun retorted and Chanyeol nodded.  
“I’m sincere. I’m making a favor to a friend” he replied but Baekhyun sighed deeply, shaking his head again.  
“Liar” he whispered and even before Chanyeol could ask him what he meant Baekhyun changed the argument.  
“What about now? What do we do? We know that my sister helped Lee out with his traffics. How do we settle things with him?” he asked Chanyeol who hummed in thought.  
“Are you still willing to kill the man yourself?” Chanyeol asked him serious and Baekhyun nodded.  
“For how corrupted my sister could be, she was my sister. He didn’t have any rights to take her life away” he declared and Chanyeol nodded shortly.  
“Then I would let Inspector Do and the police out of all of this, what do you say?” Chanyeol proposed and Baekhyun nodded softly, staring outside the windows.  
“I could… pretend to be her once again. And go and meet him?” he started but Chanyeol shook his head immediately.  
It would be a mistake because Lee already knew that Mary was dead and obviously the only person that could pretend to be her would be her brother.  
“He knows Mary is dead. And it would be too dangerous for you” he observed trying to figure out which way was better to meet Lee and making him pay for his crimes.  
And then he frowned deeply, like he was almost forgetting about something.  
“Didn’t she say that she sent a copy of the files to the police too?” Chanyeol asked him and Baekhyun frowned briefly, shaking his head.  
“Maybe she just… didn’t?” he replied shrugging his shoulders but Chanyeol shook his head too.  
Mary became paranoid, according to Baekhyun, the last period of her life so she wouldn’t rely only on Baekhyun’s help alone to make the world know what was happening and bringing Lee’s doing under the spotlights.  
She knew that for her that wasn’t anything to do anymore, maybe because Lee already promised her that he would have killed her.  
However, she boldly stated it also in her letter.  
You played with the wrong girl.  
She wouldn’t let anything blow up in nothing in the eventuality that Baekhyun wouldn’t understand the secret behind the letters.  
“She did. And someone in police received it but didn’t tell anything. I fear that it’s something even bigger than expect, Baekhyun” he whispered and Baekhyun frowned again.  
If his supposition was correct, it meant that someone inside police knew about Lee’s doing and he or she hid it from the police, being an accomplice.  
Exactly like that time that someone inside the police covered Lee for the assassination of Chanyeol’s partner.  
“If you are right… who can we trust?” Baekhyun asked him, worried and Chanyeol shook his head, sighing deeply.  
“Each other. I wouldn’t tell any of this to anybody but you, Baekhyun” he replied softly, barely audible and Baekhyun’s stare softened a bit.  
“At least we have each other, yes” he concluded and Chanyeol hummed in thought.  
There was a small silence, interrupted only by some birds chirping in the distance.  
“May I still…” Baekhyun whispered, attracting Chanyeol’s perplexed stare, who waited for him to finish.  
“Stay here?” Baekhyun concluded and Chanyeol nodded shortly.  
“As long as you want” he replied briefly before opening in a soft smile that Baekhyun reciprocated with another smile, so soft and gentle that Chanyeol wanted again to kiss him.  
For a while more.  
For a while more he had the possibility to stay with Baekhyun.

  
They realized way too early that, after their initial meeting at the tennis club and after Baekhyun’s attempted homicide, Lee vanished in thin air.  
There wasn’t any trace of him and both Chanyeol and Baekhyun had only to wait, continuing to study Mary’s belongings hoping to find something new or something they didn’t realize before.  
Days with Baekhyun became normal.  
Where Chanyeol was, there was also Baekhyun and vice versa.  
Chanyeol didn’t ask about his life apart from Mary’s case and neither when he would be back to his previous life.  
He didn’t want to know.  
As long as he could have Baekhyun by his side for a while more, nothing else mattered.  
He almost got to the point of asking himself if he really wanted to solve that case or not.  
From the other side, neither Baekhyun never spoke about his life, not mentioning his work or his friends or colleagues, letting also slide the fact that Chanyeol still kept secrets with him.  
Especially regarding why he was still helping him despite never knowing his sister.  
Their routine was… fixed, almost symbiotic.  
Chanyeol never felt the same synchronicity with another human being before, neither with his former partner at the police, with who he spent a lot of days and nights.  
Baekhyun understood him even without words.  
Stares and small gesture more than words.  
They could spend hours in complete silence and still feel comfortable with each other.  
And in the meantime, he couldn’t avoid anymore how he was… attracted to Baekhyun.  
To his whole being, to him being touchy especially on the colder night, on the space between them that became day by day shorter, almost non-existing.  
How every time he met Baekhyun’s stare, Chanyeol wanted to kiss him.  
Or how every time Baekhyun took a bath, Chanyeol needed a cold shower because he made him feel hot and bothered.  
Something was going on inside Chanyeol while Baekhyun was around him and he started to be unable to refuse it anymore.  
That afternoon it was one of the many, always the same routine.  
Baekhyun just prepared tea and when to sit back on the couch near where Chanyeol was sitting, sighing shortly.  
“It has been two weeks already, Yeol” he whispered softly and Chanyeol leant his back to the back of the couch.  
“I know and you are right. However, for the moment it’s nothing that we can do about it. It’s only…” he started too but Baekhyun sighed again.  
“I know, I know. Waiting” he concluded and Chanyeol nodded near him.  
There was a small silence and then Baekhyun shifted his stare toward Chanyeol that frowned softly.  
“What?” he asked him and Baekhyun sighed even deeply than before.  
“Since we have so much free time, you could finally tell me why you…” he started but Chanyeol shook his head, shifting his stare away.  
“Still at this?” he interrupted him and Baekhyun touched slightly his arm, attracting again his stare.  
It was a moment.  
Chanyeol turned his stare toward Baekhyun and Baekhyun leant in, placing a soft kiss on his lips.  
It was barely a touch, no more than a brush, but it was a kiss.  
They stared at each other intensely, like the whole rest of the world stopped around them and nothing apart them existed anymore.  
“What this mean?” Chanyeol whispered briefly, feeling the silence pushing on his own being.  
They kissed before too, but it was still when Baekhyun thought that Chanyeol was in love with Mary.  
Now they both knew that Chanyeol didn’t meet Mary neither once.  
“I’m tired of you running away from this” Baekhyun whispered at him and Chanyeol frowned softly not understanding what he meant.  
But Baekhyun smiled softly, shaking his head.  
“I… heard you talking with Jondae the last time we went to Black Pearl” he whispered and Chanyeol felt the blush creeping up to his cheeks, remembering the last conversation that he had with Jondae, that day.  
It was about him being not knowing Mary and being in love with Baekhyun.  
And Baekhyun himself overheard it.  
“You would be a perfect detective” Chanyeol whispered, shifting his stare away, but Baekhyun caressed his cheek, forcing him to look back at him.  
“Is this the reason why you are still helping me, right?” he asked him and Chanyeol inhaled deeply, nodding.  
“Yeah. This and no others. Even if it’s not right, even if it’s not correct, even if…” he started but Baekhyun leant in again, pressing their lips together, this time longer, letting Chanyeol properly savor Baekhyun’s lips.  
Chanyeol kissed him back, slowly, hand moving to caress his cheek, moving to his neck and pulling him near.  
“It feels damn right to me” Baekhyun whispered in the kiss and Chanyeol knew it too.  
Because he never felt the same with anybody before Baekhyun.  
And he was right.  
He felt heavenly, the best it could be, so lovely and warm and he simply wanted more.  
Obviously ignoring all the attraction and chemistry that built up in those two weeks and that he thought he was going crazy for how much he wanted to touch Baekhyun and to hold him.  
“And I waited for you to tell it to me. Especially that night, during Chuseok, but you are so…” Baekhyun started before kissing him again, fingers carding through his hair.  
“Afraid of heavens know what” he concluded but Chanyeol kissed him shortly before sighing and squeezing his cheeks.  
“It’s not legal in any states. And I didn’t know a thing about you… loving me back?” he whispered and Baekhyun shook his head, freeing himself from Chanyeol’s grip on his cheeks.  
“You never asked me. And you totally ignored all the hints I tried to send you if you want to know” he replied and Chanyeol chuckled shaking his head.  
“That would be?” he asked him interested and Baekhyun smirked shortly.  
“Me accepting to come with you at your parents’? Or dancing with you? Or do you prefer me continuing to live with you?” Baekhyun replied him slowly shifting and sitting on Chanyeol’s laps, much to Chanyeol’s surprise and arousal.  
Chanyeol’s hands went immediately to Baekhyun’s sides, stroking them gently.  
Baekhyun leant in softly, almost kissing Chanyeol’s lips.  
“Out there I’m a bank director. Do you think I wouldn’t have found someone who could offer me a place to stay? My secretary would have been so happy to invite me living with her” he whispered, hands caressing Chanyeol’s neck who closed his eyes, enjoying Baekhyun’s cold fingers on his skin.  
“Or that I wouldn’t notice how we fit perfectly together? And how you look at me?” Baekhyun added finally leaning in and closing again the distance between their lips.  
Chanyeol kissed him back, this time with more passion, licking his way into Baekhyun’s mouth.  
“You never told me, Baekhyun…” he whispered before carding his fingers in Baekhyun’s hair, caressing them and looking at Baekhyun closing his eyes and humming gently at the contact with Chanyeol’s fingers.  
“You are so beautiful” Chanyeol let out, admiring Baekhyun’s figure and not yet realizing fully what was happening in that moment.  
Baekhyun chuckled shaking his head briefly.  
“Oh no, nothing compared to you, Mr. Private Detective” he whispered, fingers moving to caress his shoulders and his arms.  
“Do we want to speak about why someone who live permanently on a desk is so… thick?” he asked him and Chanyeol felt again the blush reaching his cheeks.  
“I…” he started but Baekhyun pressed a finger on Chanyeol’s lips.  
“Or do we want to speak about your thighs?” he asked him, fingers running down to caress Chanyeol’s thighs, almost reaching his groin.  
Chanyeol’s stare went to Baekhyun, wanting.  
“I wonder if you knew…” he started and Baekhyun chuckled.  
“If I knew that you never met my sister? Jondae told me slightly later than I asked you to help me find Mari” he whispered and Chanyeol shook his head, exasperated.  
“So you teased me all this way long?” he asked and Baekhyun in a smirk.  
“A bit, yes. But I thought that you were in love with me pretending to be her, not with… me” he replied honestly and Chanyeol inhaled deeply.  
“How could I? I was perplexed when you revealed to be a man, but my feelings for you were the same. I fell in love with you as person, not with you as…” he started again but Baekhyun shook his head, pressing again a finger on Chanyeol’s lips.  
“Still you tried to hide it for me, even lying to me” he stated and Chanyeol sighed, hands moving along Baekhyun’s neck, descending to his shoulders, running on his arms and finally reaching his hands, taking them in his.  
“Homosexuality is not tolerated here, and you know it too. And I wasn’t even sure about your feelings toward me” he whispered, kissing Baekhyun’s fingers and feeling him sigh too.  
“I know. Is there no possibility for us, then?” he asked him and Chanyeol’s stare went immediately on Baekhyun.  
“I didn’t say this” he replied and Baekhyun frowned shortly.  
“Come away with me. Let’s elope?” Chanyeol stated making Baekhyun snort, shaking his head.  
“Where to? I’m not rich or…” he started and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“After this thing with Lee it’s over. Let’s go to another state and let’s open a candy shop?” he whispered and Baekhyun pressed his lips in a thin line, shaking his head.  
“We can’t” he replied briefly and Chanyeol closed his eyes, kissing again Baekhyun’s fingers.  
“So we will never be together?” he asked him back and Baekhyun shook his head again.  
“I didn’t say this” he replied smirking back, but without adding anything more.  
“Let’s forget it for the moment” he added immediately leaning down and kissing again Chanyeol’s lips.  
Chanyeol just followed his words, forgetting about everything else and simply dedicating all his attentions to Baekhyun.  
His fingers moved under Baekhyun’s shirt, caressing his sides and his abdomen, softly reaching his nipples and making Baekhyun repress a moan, slightly arching his back on Chanyeol’s laps.  
“I want you, Chanyeol” Baekhyun whispered and Chanyeol bit his lips slightly before lifting Baekhyun up and bringing him to the bedroom, laying him down on the bed.  
“You are so gorgeous, Baekhyun…” he whispered kissing his neck and starting to unbutton his shirt, distracted by Baekhyun’s hands on his neck and on his back.  
“And you are so damn hot” Baekhyun replied, arching slightly his back and brushing his erection with Chanyeol who bit harder on Baekhyun’s neck, sucking a purple blooming hickey.  
“Impatient” Chanyeol whispered softly and Baekhyun chuckled shaking his head.  
“I want to ride you since the first time we met, I wait even too much…” he replied and Chanyeol felt the blush creeping up to his ears, remembering the first time Baekhyun proposed him to fuck.  
“How would have you done if I would have accepted your proposal?” Chanyeol asked him making Baekhyun snort in amusement.  
“You are to righteous to accept the proposal of a slut” Baekhyun stated and when Chanyeol wanted to object, he shook his head shortly.  
“And I would enjoy it nevertheless. I mean, I still prefer men over women” he added and Chanyeol huffed, shaking his head before biting again Baekhyun’s neck, this time a bit harder.  
He kind of disliked thinking of what other men did to Baekhyun, especially when he was Mary.  
Or what he did to earn information about his sister.  
“Chanyeol, it will remain forever if you continue…” Baekhyun groaned, patting on his shoulder and Chanyeol stopped and wanted to apologize but Baekhyun caressed him softly on his cheeks, forcing him to look at him.  
“Don’t. We are both here and I won’t be of anybody else if not yours” he whispered, fingers caressing his hair and slightly pulling him down for a soft kiss.  
Chanyeol kissed him back, losing himself again in his warmth and his scent.  
Even before he could realize it, Baekhyun pushed him, shifting their positions and pining Chanyeol on the mattress.  
“Yours and yours only, Chanyeol. Because you are all I desire” he whispered in Chanyeol’s ear and Chanyeol shivered, gently arching his back, meeting his erection with Baekhyun’s who groaned softly.  
“And I want you so much…” Baekhyun added, fingers caressing his torso and getting to the hem of Chanyeol’s trousers.  
He grinded shortly again their erections together, earning a soft groan from Chanyeol before opening his trousers, gaining access to Chanyeol’s erection under the fabric of his underwear.  
Baekhyun brushed it with his fingers, gently, shortly, and Chanyeol felt it twitch briefly, asking for more attention.  
“You are already so hard…” Baekhyun noted and Chanyeol snorted, shaking his head.  
“With you so sexy on my laps? It would be a crime if I wasn’t” he replied and Baekhyun chuckled briefly, biting his lips.  
“How do you like things?” he asked briefly and Chanyeol caressed Baekhyun’s sides gently.  
“Whatever makes you feel more comfortable, Baekhyun. You prefer riding me? Or do you want me to…” he started asking him but Baekhyun pressed his hand on Chanyeol’s mouth, red staining his cheeks and ears.  
Chanyeol raised his eyebrows perplexed but then smirked shortly, taking Baekhyun’s hand in his.  
“So you are good only at flirting with words? And you are weak to dirty talk?” he asked him and Baekhyun shook his head but Chanyeol chuckled shortly, pushing him again on the bed, under him.  
“No? You are fine if I start telling you how I want to bend you on my bed, licking you open, before I…” he started whispering and Baekhyun whined under him, biting his lips before pulling him down for a kiss.  
“Less words and more actions” he whispered even if his cheeks and ears were deep red and Chanyeol chuckled.  
“At your command” he concluded gently helping him to get rid of some of his clothes, starting from the shirt and the trousers, leaving him only with his underwear.  
Baekhyun turned around, laying prone and Chanyeol started kissing the back of his neck and his shoulders, gently caressing his sides and back.  
“Your back is so sensible” Chanyeol whispered when Baekhyun’s skin erupted in goosebumps at every caress and kiss.  
“It’s because I’m not used to be touched there” he replied, muffling another groan and Chanyeol bite him softly under a shoulder blade, making him moan softly.  
“Chanyeol, stop teasing me…” he muttered and Chanyeol nodded briefly, kissing his way down to Baekhyun’s underwear.  
He pulled it down without any further ado, groping slightly on Baekhyun’s buttocks, making him groan shortly.  
“So round” he whispered before biting it softly and Baekhyun gasped in surprise.  
“Chanyeol!” he exclaimed and Chanyeol chuckled before palming it a bit harder.  
Before Baekhyun could complain again about him being a tease, Chanyeol licked gently Baekhyun’s entrance, earning himself a low groan from Baekhyun, who gripped slightly on the bed covers.  
Chanyeol repeated the motion once again, starting to massage the area and slightly forcing his tongue in.  
Baekhyun pushed back toward the insertion, making Chanyeol repeat the motion again and again, staring to create some friction and Baekhyun moaned deeply when saliva started dripping along his entrance and thigh.  
“-Yeol…” he whimpered and Chanyeol got a bit more of saliva on it before teasing Baekhyun’s entrance with his finger.  
“Gently, gently” he whispered but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“I can take a bit of pain…” he retorted making Chanyeol huff in reply.  
He started to insert the finger, meeting way less resistance than he expected.  
“Told you…” Baekhyun groaned at the insertion and Chanyeol frowned, bending over him just to whisper at his ear.  
“So you finger yourself sometimes?” he asked him and Baekhyun blushed deeply.  
“Yes, since we live together almost every day…” he whispered in reply and Chanyeol was pleasantly surprised.  
He started pushing the finger inside and out, making Baekhyun repress another groan.  
“Even every day? Why?” he asked him softly, biting his ear, and pushing another finger in and making Baekhyun arch again toward the insertion, getting all Chanyeol’s fingers inside himself, moaning lowly.  
“Otherwise I would be always hot and bothered around you” it was the exasperated reply Baekhyun let out among the moans that started to leave his lips while Chanyeol increased the pace of his thrusts inside Baekhyun.  
Chanyeol never got harder so promptly in his life.  
“Do I turn you on this much?” he asked Baekhyun who nodded briefly and Chanyeol pushed another finger in, making Baekhyun moan again, this time even deeper.  
“You are so sensual and gorgeous, Baekhyun. And it’s nice to know that I turn you on this much” he whispered at his ear, thrusting harder and quicker inside Baekhyun, making him whimper and moan again, back arching and adjusting to Chanyeol’s thrusts inside him.  
“More…” he whispered and Chanyeol obeyed, quickening the pace even more, fingers slightly brushing against Baekhyun’s prostate and making him groan loudly.  
“Chanyeol, there…” he asked and Chanyeol moved accordingly, hitting it again and again.  
Baekhyun whimpered softly and Chanyeol bit again his ear, slightly.  
“Let me hear you coming, Baekhyun” he whispered and Baekhyun let out a low moan coming copiously on Chanyeol’s bedsheets.  
Chanyeol kissed Baekhyun’s nape gently, softly.  
“I want you” he whispered briefly and Baekhyun nodded shortly.  
“I want you too” he replied and Chanyeol gently pulled out his fingers from Baekhyun who hissed shortly at the friction.  
“I want to see you” Chanyeol stated, expressing part of his preferences and Baekhyun nodded, kissing him softly.  
“Lay down…” he whispered, slightly pushing him down, helping him removing his trousers and underwear.  
Baekhyun leant down near the bed were there was his suitcase and he magically produced a condom.  
“Where the…?” Chanyeol asked him but Baekhyun smiled softly, before sitting on his laps, fingers gently caressing Chanyeol’s erection.  
Chanyeol groaned softly, closing his eyes in pleasure.  
“Are you sure you are…?” Chanyeol started to ask him but Baekhyun pressed a finger on his lips.  
“Will you let me ride you? Following my pace?” he asked him back and Chanyeol hummed softly.  
“Just don’t hurt yourself, we have plenty of time” he replied but Baekhyun shook his head, rolling the condom on Chanyeol’s erection.  
“We don’t have as much as you expect” he stated before choosing the position more comfortable for him and literally bottoming out.  
Chanyeol had to bite his lips and grip hard on Baekhyun’s sides just not to thrust even deeper in Baekhyun.  
Baekhyun was beautiful on him, sweaty and aroused, messy hair and glassy eyes, full blown and dark with lust.  
“You fill me up so well” he whispered biting his lips and starting to move on Chanyeol’s laps who almost choked on air at the sensation of thrusting inside Baekhyun.  
He was so warm and so hot and so damn tight.  
“Baek…” he whispered, gripping harder on his sides and Baekhyun smiled at him.  
“I want to feel everything of you, Chanyeol” he whispered and Chanyeol bit his lips, starting gently to meet Baekhyun’s movement on him, thrusting inside him, following his pace.  
Baekhyun closed his eyes, briefly, parting his lips and moaning lowly.  
He was so beautiful and Chanyeol wanted so much of him.  
Chanyeol started to play with Baekhyun’s nipples, thrusting deeper inside him.  
Baekhyun groaned, tightening up around Chanyeol who let out a small moan.  
“You are so beautiful and are taking me so well, Baekhyun…” he whispered, pinching slightly harder on Baekhyun’s nipple and making him arch his back in meeting his thrust, granting Chanyeol access to his prostate.  
And Chanyeol didn’t lose the moment, thrusting exactly against his soft spot, making him almost meowl on him, throwing back his head and moving quicker on his laps.  
“Ah, Chanyeol, there, please” he moaned and Chanyeol obeyed thrusting harder and deeper inside Baekhyun, repeatedly hitting Baekhyun’s prostate.  
“Please” Baekhyun asked him again and Chanyeol nodded, hand moving to Baekhyun’s erection and stroking him harder, making him moan again.  
“Come for me, Baekhyun. Let me hear your voice” he whispered and Baekhyun bit his lips before starting a small mantra of pleases and Chanyeols.  
He came on Chanyeol’s fingers and torso in few more thrust, squeezing Chanyeol even more inside himself.  
Chanyeol shifted his hands on Baekhyun’s sides and thrusted quicker inside Baekhyun, chasing his own release, making him yip.  
“Yeol, I want to feel you coming” he whispered and Chanyeol groaned coming inside Baekhyun, panting and gently slowing down, enjoying every single instant of his orgasm.  
There was a small silence, filled only by the sound of their breaths, trying to even down.  
“It was…” Chanyeol started and Baekhyun ended for him “… the best ever”.  
Chanyeol nodded shortly, caressing Baekhyun sides, who closed his eyes softly, enjoying the after waves of his climax too.  
“Let’s wash a bit before something decides to happen?” Chanyeol whispered and Baekhyun chuckled briefly.  
“We waited for two weeks for something to happen and now…” he started, stopping mid-sentence and blocking himself.  
Chanyeol frowned, worried.  
“Baekhyun, what…?” he started and Baekhyun slapped him softly on his arm.  
“Shit, Chanyeol, we never thought the other way round!” he exclaimed, stared moving toward Chanyeol who frowned again, this time interested.  
Baekhyun had always divine epiphanies in the worst moments.  
“Lee didn’t fleet nor went away” he stated and Chanyeol firstly frowned again and then understood what Baekhyun was hinting to.  
“He is where he always was” he added and Baekhyun nodded too.  
There was something that they forget.  
Those pictures of the harbor.  
They never went to check it but Mary, in one of her many letters, mentioned meeting Lee frequently at the harbor and between the list of proprieties and Lee’s company there was a small construction at the harbor.  
Chanyeol’s hands gripped shortly on Baekhyun’s sides.  
“Slowly, Baekhyun… don’t hurt yourself” he whispered and Baekhyun nodded shortly.  
He gently pulled away, hissing at the friction, and stood in front of the bed.  
Chanyeol sat up too, taking Baekhyun’s hand.  
“Let’s wash and go to the harbor” he concluded making Baekhyun nod in agreement.

  
They went to the harbor and after finding empty the building Mary was most probably referring to, they decided to wait in the car Lee’s return.  
“I can’t believe you get this thought as an after-climax epiphany” Chanyeol hummed smoking slowly and Baekhyun chuckled, eating another bite of a sandwich they bought on the way there.  
“It was so good that literally opened my mind?” he retorted and Chanyeol shook his head trying not comment in any other way his affirmation, but Baekhyun slightly slapped his shoulder.  
“I can hear your dirty thoughts about this” he stated and Chanyeol chuckled too, smiling widely.  
They waited and waited.  
And waited.  
But there was no trace of Lee.  
“Maybe my epiphany wasn’t that good?” Baekhyun suggested but Chanyeol got to his same conclusion so it was almost impossible that both were mistaking.  
And they waited almost two days, taking turns in sleeping and go getting something to eat, before Lee finally appeared.  
It was almost midnight and Chanyeol shook immediately Baekhyun awake.  
“He’s here” he whispered softly and Baekhyun sat up staring out of the windows.  
“Finally” Baekhyun muttered in reply and they both exited from the car, silently following him.  
He entered the building and apparently he was alone.  
There wasn’t anyone either on the harbor, nor anywhere there.  
Even though…  
There was something that still remained unsettled.  
The police file.  
The ones Mary sent to the police and no one knew anything about.  
And in that moment he had his reply.  
A car arrived lightening them up and from it a person exited.  
“Oh. I should have thought I would find you both here” an known voice stated and they both stopped, especially because the building also Lee exited, smirking toward them.  
Chanyeol knew perfectly who was the owner of the voice and wanted to slap himself hard.  
Because it was so obvious that, why didn’t he think about it before?  
“And I should have imagined that you took Mr. Byun under your protection former officer Park” Lee added and Chanyeol chuckled.  
“You never were a clever type, no” he retorted and Baekhyun frowned shortly.  
“Do you…?” he started asking him, but Lee laughed out loud.  
“Oh, former officer Park didn’t tell you anything, Mr. Byun? Poor, poor, Mr. Byun, deceived also by the person who protected you up until now” he stated but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“I told you, put the pieces together, please” he whispered and Baekhyun frowned briefly before chuckling.  
“Oh, no then you weren’t clever at all, Mr. Lee” he stated and Chanyeol sighed shortly, glad that Baekhyun understood things about his past from the hints he gave him, without misunderstanding why he knew Lee.  
“You are still in disadvantage, Park” Lee stated and Chanyeol knew it too damn well.  
Baekhyun wasn’t ready for that kind of situations.  
He didn’t receive any training to fire with a gun nor other things.  
But even before Chanyeol could even start considering what was better to do, the person that spoke from the car pulled out a gun and shot Lee, killing him immediately.  
Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun behind him, instinctively.  
“I don’t have any intentions of killing Mr. Byun, Park. I need you, you that got so deep into this story and almost got me there” the voice whispered and footsteps brought in the scene the police officer that tried to frame Chanyeol that time, who tried to convince everybody that Chanyeol killed not only the man that killed his partner, but also his partner himself because he was involved in fishy affairs.  
“Oh, I should have suspected it was you since the very start, officer Choi” Chanyeol stated shaking his head, briefly and Choi pointed his gun toward Chanyeol.  
“You almost got to the truth that time and I knew that you couldn’t live anymore. I wanted you dead since that day” he stated and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Not my fault if you and Lee were two idiots who couldn’t hide properly your own affair and Kevin almost got you” he stated shrugging his shoulders and Choi laughed shortly.  
“You will end like him and so much sooner than you imagine. Like that slut… she thought she understood everything and that the important tile was Lee” he added laughing briefly, disgust clear in his tone, and Chanyeol frowned briefly.  
So it wasn’t Lee’s doing.  
It was Choi who killed Mary too.  
“He didn’t understand anything because she was too sexy and enchanted him with her kind words and nice curves” he explained tone icier than before, and Chanyeol had to physically restrain Baekhyun.  
“She was my sister! She wasn’t a slut and that’s it?” he shouted and Chanyeol slightly gripped his arm.  
“Baekhyun… stay behind” he whispered but Baekhyun shook his head and in an instant he took Chanyeol’s gun, cocking it and pointing toward Choi.  
“Baekhyun, no…” Chanyeol whispered but Baekhyun shifted it toward Chanyeol.  
“Don’t. I told you that I would have killed whoever killed my sister” he stated decided but Chanyeol raised his hands, shaking his head.  
“Okay, but give that to me, Baekhyun. Choi will kill us both otherwise” Chanyeol pleaded him but Baekhyun didn’t listened to him.  
It happened all in a moment.  
Choi shot and Baekhyun did too.  
An instant and, strangely enough, Baekhyun aimed more correctly than Choi.  
Baekhyun was injured to his left arm, blood clearly staining his jacket, but he got Choi right in his torso.  
Chanyeol shook his head, making a gesture to near Baekhyun but he shook his head too, pointing the gun to his own head.  
“Don’t come any nearer. We can’t be together, Chanyeol. Not like this” he stated and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Baekhyun, don’t tell idiocies. Please, it was self-defense, we will…” he started but Baekhyun walked away to where Choi’s body was, always keeping an eye to Chanyeol.  
When he saw that he was dead, his stare went back to Chanyeol.  
“I love you like I never loved anyone else” he stated and Chanyeol nodded shortly.  
“I love you too, Baekhyun. Please won’t you put it down and we can…” he tried again, making Baekhyun frown.  
That couldn’t end like that.  
I loved Baekhyun and he couldn’t let him go away like that.  
He didn’t care about Lee nor Choi nor nothing else.  
He only wanted Baekhyun still with him.  
“No, we can’t. Not like this. It was a pleasure meeting you, Chanyeol. Let’s meet again?” he concluded softly, almost a whisper, tone low and sad, revealing more feelings that he wanted to, and he fired a shot up in the air, making Chanyeol crouch down and when he raised again his stare to meet Baekhyun’s, he wasn’t there anymore.  
Chanyeol ran toward when Choi where, looking around but Baekhyun was nowhere to be seen.  
Chanyeol was desperate.  
Baekhyun was injured and went heavens know where.  
His life was in danger and he killed a man for the first time.  
And why in the world he didn’t listened to Chanyeol?  
Everything would have been fine!  
Chanyeol passed the following two hours exploring the harbor, hoping to find any traces of Baekhyun but it was dark and he couldn’t see a thing.  
He took the car and drove back to the police station without thinking twice.  
He pushed the door open, stare looking for Kyungsoo and finding him sit at his desk.  
“I have a fucking problem, inspector” he stated voice unstable and Kyungsoo sat up staring intensely at him.  
“I think so, you have blood on your jacket” he retorted worried, frowning, but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Come with me, with one of your best squad” Chanyeol declared and Kyungsoo nodded toward two men sitting at their own desk and they went outside.  
Chanyeol drove back to the harbor, leading the way to the police and when they got there Kyungsoo swore in front of what happened.  
“What the hell did you have in that head? Is it that big for nothing? Air?” he shouted at him but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“You don’t understand! Baekhyun was with me! And he shot Choi, but he was injured… we have to find him!” he stated and Kyungsoo shook his head, taking the radio in his car.  
“Squad one to anyone listening. We have a double homicide to the harbor. Every squad on line please reach the place as soon as possible. Forensic intervention required. Over” he ordered and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“We don’t have time to look for Byun right now, Park. I have a double homicide, and the victims are a renown police officer and a renown trader” he observed toward Chanyeol.  
“Fuck you, Do! I know, I was here, for heavens’ sake. Help me find you him, you don’t need to know how things went. You need him to tell you” he stated and Kyungsoo sighed shortly, stare fixed on Chanyeol.  
“You owe me so many favors Park I don’t know…” he started but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“I know but please, please, he’s wounded” he whispered and Kyungsoo took again the radio.  
“Here squad one to anyone listening. There is also a suspect. He’s on the fleet and wounded. Stop him at sight, don’t shoot. Over” he added and Chanyeol breathed briefly.  
“Now sit here and tell me what happened. From the very start and better be precise or I’ll send you to jail till the rest of you days, Park” Kyungsoo ordered Chanyeol who nodded shortly, sitting on his passenger seat and telling everything happened that night.

  
A whole week passed.  
Chanyeol didn’t have any news of Baekhyun if not that he was still missing and the police was still on his traces.  
Choi and Lee’s affairs finally came to light, showing also new sides of the case that Chanyeol and his partner took so much at heart and that his partner almost solved before he got killed.  
Mary’s documents were filed away as important proofs on Choi’s case.  
Everything seems to be solved, bringing the police to finally stop a traffic of liquors and women of millions of dollars.  
Chanyeol was also offered to go back to police but he refused.  
He loved his work and he missed Baekhyun, unable to convince himself that he was dead.  
And even when they found a body, drowned in the river, who had Baekhyun’s ID and documents on him, Chanyeol wasn’t convinced.  
“He can’t be him, Sehun. I would have known it” he whispered, still unable to convince himself about what was happening, and Sehun frowned shortly.  
“Loey, he was injured and armed. When he understood that there was anything more to do…” he started but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“He would never. I know it” he concluded and there was no way to make him change idea.

  
One week became one month and one month became almost a year.  
Chanyeol’s mother was stressing him out to go home for Chuseok and he didn’t want to because he remembered him too much of Baekhyun.  
He still missed and loved Baekhyun as the first time he realized his feelings for him and everything in his apartment reminded him of Baekhyun.  
However, his mother insisted oh so much that Chanyeol accepted just so she would stop once and forever.  
And also because some time away from his apartment and his life maybe would have done him good.  
The drive home seemed to be long twice the distance because he couldn’t stop thinking at how Baekhyun was excited for Chuseok the year before and… Chanyeol shook his head, tears again threating to escape from his eyes.  
When he reached home and gave some gifts around, his mother didn’t leave him alone for a minute.  
Please help here.  
Please do like this.  
Please do like that.  
She really made sure to keep him as busy as she could.  
Evening came and he didn’t even realize it, so tired for running around all the day thanks to his mother.  
And he was sitting on an improvised bench on the streets, watching to the dancers when he noted a strange figure dancing with the others.  
Chanyeol saw it for a moment only and just in time to blink and it was lost in the crowd of people.  
“I’m going crazy” he whispered lowly, shaking his head briefly.  
He was so sure it looked exactly like Baekhyun but… how could it be possible?  
It wasn’t and he was just deluding himself.  
“You don’t look so good tonight, Mr. Park” a known voice whispered in his ears and before he could turn around, ice cold hands covered his eyes.  
“Don’t. Not yet. I just want you to know I’m fine, give me some more time” Baekhyun’s voice whispered him and he nodded shortly.  
“Why didn’t you contact me before?” he asked him, voice wavering tinted by the emotion, and the voice chuckled softly.  
“They are keeping great care of me right now, no worries. And time, Chanyeol. Be patient just a while more” he replied and when Chanyeol turned around to see him, there wasn’t anybody.  
Chanyeol sighed deeply, shaking his head.  
Definitely going crazy.  
As crazy as hearing voices and feeling that same sensation again as the first time.  
Ghosts hunting his mind, filling it with memories.  
Yet it seemed all so real.  
He drank a while more staring at the stars above, wondering if it was only his mind playing him strange games, or if he really heard Baekhyun’s voice.  
He spent Chuseok with his family and then came back home, feeling as if he spent months far from home instead of a while more than a weekend.  
And he couldn’t forget that apparition.  
Baekhyun still haunted his days, and especially his nights, like the very first days.

  
It was almost the end of November, his birthday and he was sitting at his desk when Sehun entered in his studio without even knocking.  
“Loey… you remember that stupid work announce I published for a secretary?” he started and Chanyeol frowned softly, nodding.  
After Lee and Choi’s case, their studio got a lot of attentions and the work tripled in volume, so Sehun decided that it was a good idea to hire a secretary and Chanyeol went with it just because he didn’t have anything against it.  
“Someone is here and… she’s beautiful” he whined lowly and Chanyeol chuckled shaking his head.  
Sehun was still weak to women and even if he pretended to be super informed and flirting with girls, he kind of feared too gorgeous women, especially the ones that were sure of themselves.  
Chanyeol sat up, fixing his necktie and walking outside, followed by Sehun.  
And in the hall of their studio stood no one else but Baekhyun.  
Chanyeol knew it because he could recognize him in a street full of people but he was completely different compared to last time they saw.  
His hair was longer and more similar to copper color than to the auburn he was accustomed to, but Chanyeol didn’t have any doubt.  
He was wearing a pink hairband and a cream-colored one-piece, knees length.  
On his neck there weren’t anymore emerald, but Chanyeol knew it was him.  
“I’m here for that announce” he stated, voice so similar to the one he got so good at imitate when he still pretended to be Mary.  
“Sure, want to come in my office? Do you have a resume of your previous experiences?” he asked him and Baekhyun nodded shortly, opening the pink bag and extracting some sheets.  
Chanyeol gestured his studio and let Baekhyun enter, before closing the door behind his back.  
“How do I have to call you?” he asked him and Baekhyun gave him the papers.  
“Becky? So it won’t be so distant?” he replied softly, voice returning his normal one.  
Chanyeol took the papers and on the general info he noted immediately the surname.  
“Are you proposing to me?” he asked him softly and Baekhyun chuckled softly.  
“Why? I’ve already your same surname” he replied and Chanyeol shook his head, nearing him, entering in his personal space.  
“So, you are telling me that you took my surname, lived with my family for this year and you did it just because?” he asked him perplexed and Baekhyun smiled softly.  
“If you knew that I lived with your family, why you never came?” he asked him and Chanyeol’s hand moved on its own, caressing his cheek.  
He knew it because he wasn’t stupid and neither a former police officer now private detective for nothing.  
And Baekhyun left small traces behind him during Chuseok.  
Hints that only Chanyeol could have knew.  
Like his pink hairpins.  
Or the emeralds that he didn’t have anymore at his neck.  
“You told me to wait for you” he replied softly and Baekhyun smiled at him.  
“You are still the same liar” he whispered back, leaning in at the contact with Chanyeol’s warm hand.  
“I missed you every day and every night” he added thumb stroking Baekhyun’s cheek and Baekhyun shook his head.  
“I did too. But we hadn’t any other choice, Chanyeol. And I’m fine throwing away my identity as Byun Baekhyun just to stay with you. I’m fine pretending to be a woman for all my life just to be with you” he whispered and Chanyeol shook his head briefly.  
“Was it the only choice?” he asked him softly, leaning his forehead with his and Baekhyun smiled fondly, hand caressing the back of Chanyeol’s hand.  
“The easiest for both of us. And I’ve already troubled you too much. And if you are fine having me like this…” he started but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Baekhyun, you threw away everything just for… me” he whispered voice barely audible, feeling his heart clenching so hard inside his chest that it was physically painful.  
However, Baekhyun smiled gently again.  
“You are everything that matters to me, Chanyeol. I don’t need to be Baekhyun to be me. But I need you, to be fine again. Because my life without you, it’s not something I would want to live” he muttered hands moving toward Chanyeol’s cheeks, wiping away tears he didn’t know he was crying.  
“Don’t cry, Chanyeol… You are all I want from this life. And I won’t miss anything on being Baekhyun” he added but Chanyeol sighed deeply, kissing Baekhyun’s hands.  
“I don’t deserve your love” he added but Baekhyun shook his head softly.  
“Idiot. If not you, who else? And I want to remind you that only my clothes and hairstyle changed. Everything else is still the same and I’m still me” he stated pinching Chanyeol’s cheeks who whined softly.  
“So stop complaining and hire me so that I can finally ask properly my boss out” he concluded making Chanyeol chuckle.  
“There are so many things that you have to tell me, Becky” he whispered and Baekhyun chuckled, shaking softly his head.  
“All the time in the world, Mr. Park” he concluded smiling sweetly at him.

  
At the beginning, it was strange.  
Weird, Chanyeol would say.  
Having Baekhyun in his studio, and consequently, in his home everyday but having to do his best not to call him Baekhyun nor to show too much affection toward him.  
Sehun was pleased by a feminine presence in their studio because Baekhyun always perfumed of flowers and talc and he had indeed a great sense of choosing colors and keeping things in the right order.  
Baekhyun helped him a lot with multiple cases, suggesting particular ideas or hints that completed perfectly what Chanyeol was missing, pointing out how much they still were on the same length.  
And then, no more than a month later, Baekhyun asked him out.  
The scene was almost comical for a lot of points of view, but Chanyeol felt embarrassed as it was his first time nevertheless.  
It was late, almost seven and Sehun just sat up telling that he was going home when Baekhyun sat up too, reaching for Chanyeol’s desk.  
“Mr. Park, I…” he started, voice soft and Chanyeol stared at him perplexed.  
He didn’t know anything about Baekhyun wanting to ask him out.  
“Becky, is there any problem?” he asked him and he shook his head, making his hair shift almost like a commercial.  
Chanyeol always wondered how he managed to keep his hair that long without wanting to cut it and always looking as if he just came out of a shampoo commercial.  
“Please go out with me!” he exclaimed voice high-pitched enough for Sehun to hear it too and Chanyeol frowned briefly, dumbfounded by the sudden confession.  
“I… Do you… Can we go eat something together?” he asked him and Baekhyun nodded shortly, beaming at him and he felt the blush creeping up to his ears.  
Sehun clapped shortly from the doorway.  
“Oh heavens, Loey, who would have said? Finally find yourself such a nice girl” he stated and Chanyeol blushed even deeply.  
“Mr. Oh, that’s not true, I’m just a simple woman…” Baekhyun commented and Chanyeol sat up taking his jacket.  
“Let’s go, Becky. Do you have any suggestion?” he asked him and Baekhyun shook his head.  
“Italian cuisine is my favorite, Mr. Park, but I’m up to whatever” he replied and Chanyeol offered him his arm.  
“Let’s go then?” he concluded and Baekhyun nodded, leaning his hand on Chanyeol’s arm.

  
Steadily, life with Baekhyun became normal again.  
They went out together like every couple in the world.  
They had dinner out to nice restaurant, they shared umbrellas in rainy days.  
However, the idea that Baekhyun was still hiding his identity didn’t feel right and always made Chanyeol wavering, doubting.  
One afternoon Chanyeol was accompanying him home after the movie and Baekhyun was babbling about how excited he was to finally be able to see a real movie.  
However, Chanyeol was silent simply walking near him, fingers slightly gripping Baekhyun’s hand intertwined with his.  
“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun called him softly and Chanyeol smiled at him briefly.  
“Sorry, I wasn’t listening” he replied honestly and Baekhyun frowned shortly, stare inquiring in Chanyeol’s.  
“Is something wrong?” he asked him and Chanyeol sighed again, shaking his head.  
He knew that facing once again that matter with Baekhyun would mean days of cold stares and icy replies.  
Baekhyun didn’t want to talk about the fact that he abandoned his previous identity to became Rebecca “Becky” Park.  
After disappearing on Chanyeol without the slightest contact ever, Baekhyun stopped by a friend that was a doctor, shortly enough for the wound to be cured and cleaned and then, still wounded, put again her sister’s clothes just to go and meet mama Park.  
He explained her his story, including the fact that despite being a man he was so deeply in love with mama Park’s son, ergo Chanyeol, and she welcomed him with open arms.  
She gave him food, clothes, a place to stay.  
And then Yoora, out of her mind and completely drunk, one night suggested him to pretend to be a girl for forever, since he was already so good at it.  
The worst thing was that Baekhyun wasn’t drunk enough to forget about it the following day and started planning to make it happen.  
Because everyone came to know that, once Baekhyun set his mind on something, he would do even the impossible to make it happen, for better or worse.  
He let his hair grown instead of cutting it, dying them of a nice copper brown.  
He started again wearing woman’s clothes and find a way to fabricate a new identity, throwing his old away.  
Everyone needed to know that Byun Baekhyun was dead so that no one would ever search for him anymore.  
And after that he took his new name, Rebecca Park, fabricated by heavens know who in the Korean immigrant panorama.  
And he didn’t resist the temptation to go and meet Chanyeol that time that he went home for Chuseok even if he was still too embarrassed to tell him the whole story, including the fact that he legally wasn’t Baekhyun anymore.  
And the few times that Chanyeol faced this discourse with him, asking him if he was okay with having to pretend to be a woman for his all life, he always kept sulking for days until Chanyeol brought him candies or flowers and then he started to speak again with Chanyeol.  
“I just want you to be fine” Chanyeol once stated to which Baekhyun replied with a “I’m fine with you not stressing me over it!”.  
However, that evening was too nice and too sweet to ruin it with that same discourse once again.  
Because Baekhyun was right from a certain point of view and actually, nothing changed between the when they were alone.  
If not that sex never got in the picture.  
They kissed, held hands, hugged and sometimes cuddled too, but sex?   
No.  
Most probably was because Baekhyun adapted way too well to his feminine role and never mentioned it, adapting to the social laws of those years.  
“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun called him again and Chanyeol shook his head again, smiling at him.  
“It’s nothing. I’m just overthinking about some idiocies, probably” he replied and Baekhyun frowned shortly.  
“Something I could help you with?” he asked him but Chanyeol shook his head once more, kissing Baekhyun on the top of his head.  
“No need to worry” he whispered and Baekhyun hummed shortly, not convinced at all.  
He didn’t say anything until they were in front of Baekhyun’s new small apartment.  
“Want to… come upstairs?” Baekhyun asked him and Chanyeol nodded shortly, following him in the building and up until his apartment.  
“Are you sure it’s fine inviting me inside?” Chanyeol asked him making Baekhyun huff, shaking his head and pushing his door open.  
Chanyeol followed him inside and, when he closed the door behind him, Baekhyun leant the bag on the small table near the entryway before turning Chanyeol and literally pining him at the back of the door.  
“Care to explain?” he asked him, tone returning normal, not the high-pitch he always had when he was Becky.  
“What?” Chanyeol retorted but Baekhyun clicked his tongue, shaking his head.  
“You were distracted all the evening and you listened to an half of what I said and it’s not… you?” he stated, stare worried inquiring Chanyeol’s face but sighed deeply.  
“Baek, I…” he started but Baekhyun pulled at his necktie, kissing him.  
“What am I missing? Is it again because I choose this life?” he asked him softly between the kisses and Chanyeol didn’t reply, making Baekhyun huff.  
“What if tomorrow we won’t be together anymore?” Chanyeol whispered him and Baekhyun shook his head.  
“Why wouldn’t we? I love you and you love me, where’s the problem?” he retorted and Chanyeol shook his head too.  
“Baekhyun you are not…” he started softly but Baekhyun stared at him icily.  
“Me? Not in love with you anymore? I love you as the first time and I don’t care if I’m Becky and not Baek. My life is with you” he stated but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“It’s too extreme. You won’t be able to go back” he retorted again but Baekhyun shook his head briefly, sadness tinting his stare.  
“I don’t want to go back. And if you will leave me one day, I won’t blame it on you. I didn’t make this choice because you forced me to. Because I wanted to and because being with you was, and still is, the most important thing in the world to me” he whispered briefly and even before Chanyeol could comment any further Baekhyun pressed a finger on Chanyeol’s lips.  
“Maybe, if we would have met in a different era, a different society, a different world, we could have loved as we were, without any need for me to throw away anything. But if I have to choose, my choice will always be you” he added, stare shifting away and backing a bit, not meeting Chanyeol’s stare anymore.  
There was a small silence and then Baekhyun let out a low chuckle.  
“If instead all this matter is because you are trying to get rid of me, just tell me. I won’t… bother you anymore” he concluded, and his voice wavered briefly before he could turn his back to Chanyeol.  
“Don’t be stupid” Chanyeol muttered, attracting his attention, and feeling like it couldn’t be possible.  
Because why in the world Chanyeol shouldn’t want Baekhyun anymore?  
“Stupid? You continue to ask me if I’m sure about it. I’m sure, but are you? Do you want me near or does it creep you out having to deal with me? Maybe you simply prefer women… Whole beings, not something half-way there like I am” he whispered, taking off his shoes and leaving them in the center of the room and walking, almost tiptoeing, to his fridge where he pulled off a bottle of wine.  
“I’m just afraid that you will change your idea and you won’t be able to go back and…” he started again but Baekhyun stopped him, shaking his head.  
He removed the small cork that closed the bottle and pouring himself a glass, drinking a bit from it.  
“Sure, as you say, Chanyeol. One day I will regret it and will hate you and I won’t be able to be myself anymore” he concluded tone plain and voice tired, and Chanyeol shook his head, exasperated.  
He knew that that would be the outcome.  
“I’m not saying this, just…” he started trying to explain his reason and Baekhyun emptied the glass, stare finally moving again to Chanyeol.  
“Just I’m not fine for you anymore” he concluded and Chanyeol shook his head.  
“How can you even think about it? You are everything I want, Baekhyun” he whispered softly, nearing him but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“Sure. Everything you want but you continue to ask me if I’m fine and if I’m okay pretending being a woman. And even if I tell you I’m fine, you won’t even believe me. You go out with me just because I asked you. When we kiss we do it just because I start it” he started saying and when Chanyeol tried to objected, Baekhyun arched his eyebrow, adding more facts.  
“They are months already that we started going out and you didn’t… proposed me anything. We are having the occasion we wouldn’t never had in our lives, these lives, and you are throwing it away asking me if I’m happy with my choices. I’m here, I came back just for you. It’s obvious that I’m happy with my choices!” he spat out, voice slightly cracking at the end of the sentence, clearly showing his emotions and his feelings, and Chanyeol’s stare went wider in surprise.  
He never considered the fact that he could simply live with Baekhyun the life they would never been able to live if he would have remained Baekhyun.  
And that he was wasting their time with stupid questions on if Baekhyun was happy or fine with the life he chose on his own.  
“And if this wasn’t enough…” Baekhyun whispered, stare shifting away again, refilling his glass of wine.  
“You never touched me since I’m back. Nothing apart short kisses and hugs. Do I… repel you because of my long hair? Because I have to wear skirts?” he asked him, tired almost disheartened, and Chanyeol realized that he was mistaking everything in his life.  
And who cares if somewhere in the future they would regret it.  
Who cares if that was only stolen time and one day someone would discover that they were both men.  
Who cares if everything.  
Everything didn’t matter.  
The only thing important was Baekhyun and Baekhyun only.  
And it didn’t matter if his name was Baekhyun or Rebecca.  
If his hair was long or short.  
Copper or auburn.  
Skirt or jeans.  
Chanyeol loved him the way he was, nothing more, nothing less.  
Chanyeol closed the distance between them, kissing Baekhyun passionately on his lips, pressing in, hands resting on his sides, caressing him softly.  
“You are right, right in everything” he whispered between the kisses and Baekhyun tried to object but Chanyeol kissed him again and again for five minutes straight without giving him time to say anything.  
“I love you” Chanyeol muttered, leaning his forehead with Baekhyun’s.  
“You are such an idiot” he whispered back but Chanyeol chuckled softly.  
“You still love me, though” he observed and Baekhyun snorted, shaking his head.  
“I do, with all my being” he added in a whisper and Chanyeol let out a small laugh, attracting Baekhyun’s perplexed stare.  
“Well, it’s not so much seeing how short you are” he whispered barely repressing another laughter and Baekhyun’s eyes went wider in perplexity before he could slap him several time on his arm.  
“How dare you? You giant light pole!” he retorted, pouting and sulking and Chanyeol laughed again softly before kissing Baekhyun’s forehead.  
“You are my small universe, my fair lady” Chanyeol whispered him in his ears, making Baekhyun repress a shiver.  
“So beautiful and the only one I love in this world” he continued softly kissing Baekhyun’s neck and make him whimper softly.  
“Chanyeol…” he whined and Chanyeol kissed him behind his ear.  
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked him sweetly and Baekhyun shook his head.  
“I waited for so much something like this. Totally don’t want you to stop” he breathed and Chanyeol smiled, kissing him again on his neck.  
“I like this dress, you know?” he whispered, hands moving to caress Baekhyun’s thighs, earning himself a short whimper and feeling his skin erupting in goosebumps.  
“Give me plenty of access to a lot of nice places…” he added and Baekhyun bit his lips, stare moving to look to Chanyeol.  
“Maybe even more if I casually decide to sit on the counter?” he asked him lifting himself up and sitting on the kitchen counter, legs spreading a bit wider, allowing Chanyeol to caress better his thighs.  
And Chanyeol didn’t let Baekhyun repeat himself once more, fingers reaching the short briefs and teasing its hems.  
Baekhyun repressed a low groan when Chanyeol’s finger slightly brushed his erection, giving Chanyeol more access to his neck.  
Chanyeol bit him slightly earning another lustful groan.  
“Yeol…” he whispered, carding his fingers in Chanyeol’s hair and pulling not so gently.  
“Sorry. I overdid?” he asked him but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“You are still teasing me too much…” he noted and Chanyeol chuckled, palming totally Baekhyun’s erection and making him moan lowly, pressing his hand on his mouth, containing his voice.  
“The walls are too thin here, Chanyeol” he whispered and Chanyeol hummed shortly.  
“So I have to keep your mouth busy so you can’t be too loud?” he asked and Baekhyun blushed up till his ears.  
Chanyeol chuckled softly kissing his nose softly.  
“You are such a pervert” Baekhyun noted and Chanyeol shook his head softly.  
“Are you telling me that you didn’t imagine at least three or four different ways to…” he started but Baekhyun pushed his hand on Chanyeol’s mouth, making him shut up.  
“More action less words” he ordered and Chanyeol chuckled.  
“At your command, my lady” he replied and Baekhyun smirked pulling him near to kiss him passionately, biting Chanyeol’s bottom lip to grant himself entrance.  
Chanyeol caressed Baekhyun’s thighs more and more, teasing him, nearing his erection but never touching it.  
Precum was already staining his underwear and Chanyeol licked his lips softly.  
He pulled them down, revealing his erection, stroking it gently, earning himself a short moan.  
“Chanyeol…” he called but Chanyeol leant in, taking Baekhyun’s erection in his mouth, licking and sucking it briefly.  
Baekhyun repressed another moan and Chanyeol pressed two fingers on Baekhyun’s lips, trying to shut him up but Baekhyun took them in his mouth, sucking them and covering them in saliva as Chanyeol was doing to his erection.  
Chanyeol hummed in appreciation, starting to suck harder on Baekhyun, feeling him getting thicker in his mouth and sucking more and more on Chanyeol’s fingers inside his mouth.  
It was so sensual the way he thrusted in his mouth, searching for more friction and more wetness while he sucked on Chanyeol’s fingers to keep his mouth busy and not to moan too loud.  
So sensual that Chanyeol felt his erection getting harder in his trousers, asking him some attentions too.  
Chanyeol set a harder pace to his ministration on Baekhyun’s erection, sucking harder and moving faster on him and he felt Baekhyun’s fingers carding in his hair and gripping slightly.  
“Yeol” he moaned, Chanyeol’s fingers still in his mouth and Chanyeol increased even more the pace, feeling him come in no more than few sucks more.  
Chanyeol swallowed it, licking him clean and letting out Baekhyun’s erection with a lousy pop.  
“Chanyeol, I…” he started but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“Hands on the counter” he ordered and Baekhyun obeyed, coming down from it and turning around, back facing Chanyeol.  
Chanyeol pressed slightly on his back, making bend a bit toward the counter.  
“You were so good and you even gave us lube” Chanyeol whispered, caressing Baekhyun’s buttocks under the dress, slightly pressing one of the fingers that Baekhyun sucked until that moment toward Baekhyun’s entrance.  
Baekhyun pushed softly toward the insertion, like asking for more and Chanyeol kissed his nape.  
“I want you so much, Baekhyun” he whispered and Baekhyun whimpered softly.  
“I want you too, Chanyeol… It seems years since last time we…” he started but Chanyeol pushed all the first finger in, making Baekhyun bit his lips and arch his back, trying to take it as much as he could.  
Chanyeol started to gently push in and out, testing Baekhyun that took it way too well, taking also a second and a third, always trying his best to repress his moans.  
“Chanyeol… please” he whispered and Chanyeol thrusted slightly deeper, meeting Baekhyun’s prostate and making him groan lowly.  
“No, no, wait…” Baekhyun asked him and Chanyeol slowed down immediately, waiting for him to speak again.  
“I want you inside me” he muttered and if Chanyeol thought he was exploding before, his trousers were now definitely too tight.  
“Do you have any…” Chanyeol started but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“I don’t care. Fuck me here as I am” he blurted out and Chanyeol’s rational part probably totally died in that very moment.  
He pulled out his fingers from Baekhyun, gently being careful and pulled down his trousers and underwear too.  
He was almost asking him how he would have entered Baekhyun without even a bit of lubricant, when Baekhyun turned around and kneeled down in front of him, taking Chanyeol’s erection in his mouth.  
Chanyeol had to grip hard on the base of his shaft preventing him to come immediately in Baekhyun’s mouth, because it was too warm and too wet and Chanyeol simply wanted to thrust inside it.  
But Baekhyun felt it too, and pulled out too early, making Chanyeol miss the sensation.  
However, Baekhyun turned also around bending slightly more than before, only for Chanyeol and he couldn’t resist him anymore.  
Chanyeol gently caressed his thighs again, squeezing his buttocks, before nearing his entrance and slowly thrusting in.  
Or at least this was the idea, but when the tip was in it, Baekhyun pressed against him, taking every inch of Chanyeol’s erection inside him, throwing his head back, biting his lips.  
“Finally full” he moaned and Chanyeol gripped harder on his sides, preventing himself to thrust hard and raw inside Baekhyun.  
He was so tight and so hot and Chanyeol wanted him so much.  
“Chanyeol, please…” he whispered and Chanyeol started to move slowly, pulling inside and out, trying to understand how Baekhyun was feeling.  
But Baekhyun himself started to follow him movement, so Chanyeol started to thrust a bit quicker, feeling Baekhyun squeezing his erection inside him, moaning lowly.  
Baekhyun was so perfect, taking every inch at his perfection, especially when Chanyeol brushed against his prostate, making him repress an high-pitched moan.  
He covered it up pressing his hand on his mouth, but it was clear that he was feeling oh so much and Chanyeol continued that way, thrusting harder and quicker.  
“Ah, please there, more” Baekhyun whispered trying his best to keep his voice down and Chanyeol complied immediately thrusting deeper inside him and feeling his release getting closer too.  
He wanted to move his hand to stroke Baekhyun’s erection but Baekhyun squeezed him harder inside him.  
“Chanyeol, please, I’m coming” he muttered and Chanyeol simply kept thrusting inside him, chasing his own release.  
And in the same moment Baekhyun came, squeezing even harder on him, Chanyeol came too, slowing down to a complete stop, enjoying every second of his climax.  
Only when he went down from orgasm high, he pulled out gently, sighing deeply.  
“I’m sorry, Baekhyun, I…” he started but Baekhyun shook his head.  
“It was the first time someone came inside me without condom…” he whispered and Chanyeol worried immediately about everything.  
“I’ll help you wash and, really, I’m so sorry…” he started but Baekhyun clicked his tongue.  
“Stop apologizing. It’s a strange sensation but it’s not… as strange as I imagined it?” he whispered and finally stood briefly before shivering a bit.  
“I just wasn’t ready?” he added and his face was perplexed but not worried or angry, and Chanyeol wanted to apologize again but Baekhyun turned toward him and kissed him softly on his lips.  
“Glad you were my first also in this” he whispered walking toward the bathroom and Chanyeol followed him worried.  
“Do you need a help?” he asked him and Baekhyun hummed in thought.  
“Only if you are up to join me in the shower?” he replied and Chanyeol chuckled entering the bathroom with him.  
He helped him cleaning himself and after they undressed they took a shower together.  
“You said I’m your first also in this. In what other I’m your first?” Chanyeol asked Baekhyun while he was helping him rinsing his hair and Baekhyun chuckled.  
“You are so curious. But I will let you know that you are a lot of my first” he replied and Chanyeol frowned perplexed.  
They exited from the shower and Chanyeol dried himself promptly just to help Baekhyun and checking if he was fine.  
“For example?” he asked then and Baekhyun smiled softly at him.  
“You are my first love” he replied and Chanyeol’s eyes went wider in amazement and then he smiled softly too.  
“You are mine too, Baekhyun” he whispered back and Baekhyun chuckled kissing the tip of his nose.  
“I know, Mr. Park, and I couldn’t be happier, you know?” he whispered and Chanyeol really wondered if there wasn’t something more he could do to make Baekhyun even happier.

  
And he kind of find it out no more than two weeks later.  
It was almost Christmas and he was walking the streets of Los Angeles wondering what he could buy Baekhyun to make him happy but the solutions presented itself to him.  
Baekhyun wanted a normal life for them.  
Enough to pretend every single day of his life to be a woman just to be near him.  
And Chanyeol wanted to give him the stability and the certainty that he wanted the same.  
Every day of their lives, until the very end.  
Because Baekhyun was still the only thing that mattered to him and nothing else.  
So that evening he invited Baekhyun out, in a fine Italian restaurant, and offered him the dinner.  
“Are we… celebrating something?” Baekhyun asked him, perplexed.  
Chanyeol shook his head and simply went with the dinner.  
Everything was nice and fine, and Baekhyun enjoyed every single moment, especially because he was a great fan of Italian cuisine and Viva Polo was the best Italian restaurant in all the city, and maybe also in America.  
All was smooth and perfect.  
Especially at the dessert part.  
Baekhyun adored sweet things and cakes.  
“Before the dessert, there’s something I want to ask you…” Chanyeol started voice soft and stretching his hand on the table to take Baekhyun’s, and Baekhyun frowned briefly.  
He was dressed even nicer than usual that night.  
A really nice satin black dress with a necklace of white pearls.  
Very classy but still so beautiful.  
Always so stylish, enjoying the huge choose of women’s clothes sometimes too much in Chanyeol’s opinion but whatever made Baekhyun happy, was fine for Chanyeol too.  
“Do you…” he started and Baekhyun frowned softly, stare inquiring Chanyeol who cleared his throat and tried again.  
“Do you want to marry me?” he proposed to him softly, pushing a small golden box toward him.  
Inside there was a gold ring with small emeralds in it.  
Baekhyun’s eyes went wider in surprise, moving from the ring to Chanyeol’s face several times.  
“You are not…?” he started but Chanyeol shook his head.  
“I mean it. Marry me” he repeated and Baekhyun nodded.  
Just one time, decided, no hesitation, no nothing.  
Only love and affection in his stare.  
“And come live with me” Chanyeol added and Baekhyun chuckled.  
“Heavens bless. I thought you would never ask me. I lived there only for two weeks but… I consider that place home, more than the one I live now or the one I lived in before” he whispered and Chanyeol opened in a wide smile.  
“I love you” he whispered and Baekhyun nodded shortly.  
“I love you too, more than my own life” he concluded and Chanyeol took his hand putting the ring on his finger.  
“So it’s settled? You can move in with me and then we can think about marriage?” Chanyeol asked him worried, not sure if the reply was definitely yes for both things, and Baekhyun chuckled softly, nodding.  
“Whatever makes me yours forever, Chanyeol” he replied softly, hand caressing Chanyeol’s hand on the table but Chanyeol shook his head softly.  
“You already are mine. And I’m yours until the very end” he concluded making Baekhyun smile softly.  
Because Baekhyun was all he needed in his life.

  
After several months and a lot of preparative later, they married officially.  
Strangely enough, Baekhyun wanted to take care of almost everything.  
Chanyeol wasn’t sure if it was because Baekhyun felt like that was his duty or because he really wanted it, but it made him happy to see him that happy too.  
Baekhyun, helped by Yoora, choose all the decorations, the place, the cake, the menu…  
Everything.  
Chanyeol didn’t stop them and even if he wanted to, nothing would stop the cooperation between Baekhyun and Yoora.  
Those two became friends and made the best combi possible.  
They invited all Park’s family, Sehun and mostly Chanyeol’s ex colleagues.  
But somehow Chanyeol managed to sneak in also Jondae and Johnny.  
Because after a lot of indecisions, Chanyeol finally managed to convince Baekhyun to tell Jondae what happened.  
At least to Jondae who was almost Baekhyun’s brother, more than his friend.  
And when Jondae came to know it, almost cried and wanted to punch Baekhyun in the face.  
“You are the worst friend ever” he repeated several times, while hugging him and crying.  
The celebration wasn’t anything too fancy, but Baekhyun and Yoora did their best for it to go as smoothly as possible.  
And so it did.  
Everything was perfect and Baekhyun was beautiful.  
Chanyeol couldn’t stop staring at him with his white dress and his inevitable pink hairpins.  
“I’m glad you have my same surname now” Chanyeol whispered him while they were eating the cake at the end of the lunch with all the other guests.  
“I had also before” Baekhyun chuckled toward him and Chanyeol blushed softly.  
“Not romantic at all” he whispered but Baekhyun kissed him on his cheek.  
“Glad to have married me?” Baekhyun asked him and Chanyeol nodded, taking his hand.  
“I would do it every day of my life” he replied and Baekhyun slightly gripped his hand, staring at him in his eyes.  
“I would take this choice every day too. Because you are my life” Baekhyun added and Chanyeol smiled sweetly at him.  
“Thank you, my lady” he concluded before pulling him softly down for a gentle kiss.  
Everything started in a weird way, but it came out with the brightest result possible.  
And Chanyeol couldn’t desire anything more.  
Because he had Baekhyun with him and his world was complete as it was.


End file.
